“Magic and I had to score and assist“ — Isiah Thomas explains who is a better comparison to Steph Curry than…

Zeke explained the difference between being a top point guard in the 80s and in the modern NBA, rejecting he’s Steph’s comp and bringing up another legendary point guard.

It is a hobby of fans and former players alike to compare current stars with the old ones. Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry seems to have evaded this type of analysis as nothing seems to match his shooting mastery. However, Isiah Thomas probably hit the nail on the head when he compared Curry to one of the best scoring guards in history.

From Thomas’ observation, Curry is a lot like Philadelphia 76ers great Allen Iverson. Not only because they are small guards, but they both have a knack for putting the ball in the basket. Thomas also shared what he thinks he and Magic Johnson’s place in basketball history on The Rich Eisen Show.

“When I look at Steph Curry now, I see him more Allen Iverson than the Isiah Thomas conversation. Because Iverson came to the game with one thought in mind. That was to score the basketball. Curry comes to the game with one thought in mind, and that’s to score the basketball. And they are great scorers at that position. Magic [Johnson] and I came to the game and had to achieve perfect balance. Where we had to score and assist. We had to have a different mindset other than just being scorers. So, I look at Curry and Iverson basically in the same way,” Thomas said.

It’s an interesting and pretty accurate comparison. Iverson is easily one of the most explosive scorers in history; he averaged 26.7 points per game for his career. AI was crowned scoring champion four times in his illustrious career. And he did his damage as usually the smallest man on the floor.

“Magic and I had to score and assist“ — Isiah Thomas explains who is a better comparison to Steph Curry than…

Curry, for his part, has two scoring titles. Like Iverson, Steph was usually the smallest man on the floor. Whereas Iverson did his damage from mid-range or around the rim, Curry assaulted offenses through 3-pointers.

What makes Curry so deadly is that he doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be a threat. Just his mere presence on the floor (literally anywhere) causes havoc. Steve Kerr’s motion-heavy offense fits like a glove with Curry’s playstyle.

Thomas’ analysis of Curry’s game is an important one. For some reason, some analysts do not consider Curry as one of the greats despite his hefty resume, plus the fact that he changed the game.

Their uncertainty towards Curry could be a mix of jealousy and confusion. After all, we’ve never seen someone like him before. And so Thomas’ analysis gives us some barometer of Curry’s skill and the circle of greats where he belongs.