In 2015, former broadcaster and Warriors coach Mark Jackson said that Steph Curry was “hurting the game,” noting that kids learning to play basketball would prioritize 3-point shooting over other areas of development.
Whether or not Curry’s impact is detrimental can be left for debate, but the existence of that impact itself is clear. The average 3-pointers made per game in the NBA has more than doubled since Curry debuted.
On the “Mind the Game” podcast with LeBron James and Steve Nash, James asked Curry at what point did he realize his game was transcendent?
“When [Atlanta Hawks guard] Trae Young came in the league, and that was like the first person they said was the next ‘me’,” Curry said, “even though he’s a different player.”
Heading into the 2018 NBA Draft, Young often was compared to Curry on account of his 3-point shooting from long range and volume while playing at Oklahoma. The comparison was one of the first times that Curry realized his impact.
“That might be the first time I thought of it or really experienced what the impact was,” Curry said. “But I got that ‘you ruined the game’ question after Mark said it. Now it’s kind of tongue-in-cheek, just because you understand there is an influence. Now it’s about how can you allow kids to hear the story about the entire journey and not just the finish point.”
Despite the comparisons solely due to 3-point shooting, Young has not shot at the same volume as Curry in his eight years in the NBA. Young averages 7.5 3-point attempts per game to Curry’s 9.4 3-point attempts per game.
“When he was a kid, they came to one of our games, I got to talk to him,” Curry recounted. “Next thing you know, he’s getting drafted, like ‘he’s the next [Steph Curry]’. Like no, he’s his own player.”
Even though the comparison might not be completely accurate, Curry’s impact on the evolution of players like Young is unquestionable.
