This past season was one that saw Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry regain his stranglehold over much of the NBA.
After missing most of the 2019-20 campaign due to injury, he played brilliantly in 2021, but he was unable to lift the Warriors into the playoffs.
But they rediscovered themselves in 2022, and although Curry’s regular season numbers in terms of efficiency were a bit subpar (by his standards), he turned it up in the playoffs.
After averaging 25.5 points a game on 43.7 percent overall shooting and 38.0 percent from 3-point range, he put up 27.4 points per contest while shooting 45.9 percent from the field and 39.7 percent from downtown in 22 playoff games.
In the NBA Finals versus the Boston Celtics, Curry was brilliant, recording 31.2 points a game on 48.2 percent shooting and 43.7 percent from deep.
In leading the Warriors to their fourth world championship in eight years, he earned the one major individual award that had eluded him: the Finals MVP award.
It led to plenty of observers saying that Curry had entered the top-10 list of greatest players in league history.
Is he truly deserving of such an accolade, or does he need to add a little bit more to his resume to earn that honor?
Curry Has Built Up Quite A Resume
In the past decade, three NBA superstars have stood head and shoulders above the rest: Curry, LeBron James and Kevin Durant.
There has been a running debate as to whether Curry or James has been the greater player in this era, and what Curry did in April, May and June has strengthened his argument in a major way.
The guard has two regular season MVPs, two scoring titles, eight All-Star appearances and four All-NBA First-Team selections to his name.
Of course, just about everyone agrees that Curry is the greatest outside shooter the game of basketball has ever seen, especially with his uncanny ability to hit tightly contested shots from long distances.
“Dad how good was Stephen Curry?” pic.twitter.com/vdoCrbRGVC
— ³⁰ (@StephMuse_) July 2, 2022
Some would also say Curry has changed the game with his ability to hit shots from well behind the 3-point line.
He was the first to do it on even a semi-regular basis, and after several years, Damian Lillard and LeBron James started to pick up the habit.
Stephen Curry launching bombs from the logo (not including his made shots from beyond half court) pic.twitter.com/5EPHyH04kO
— Antonin (@antonin_org) August 14, 2020
Who Has Curry Surpassed On The All-time List?
If Curry is now one of the 10 greatest NBA players ever, the question is, who should be moved off the list to make room for him?
Who actually belongs on the list is always a hot debate, but most seem to agree that James, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Shaquille O’Neal and Bill Russell are fixtures there.
Many would also include Tim Duncan, who is considered the greatest power forward ever.
That’s 10 players – so who should be bumped off in favor of Curry?
Perhaps the answer is Russell, who, despite winning 11 titles in his 13 seasons and revolutionizing the game with his defense and rebounding, was never a great offensive player (he averaged 15.1 points a game and shot just 44.0 percent for his career).
If so, does Curry deserve to be placed ahead of Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Hakeem Olajuwon?
Right now, the Warriors centerpiece is certainly firmly in the argument for the top 10 list, but one more world championship and Finals MVP award would cement him there.
NEXT: Jonathan Kuminga Shines Bright In NBA Summer League On Tuesday
