Gilbert Arenas disqualifies Stephen Curry from GOAT considerations with solid reasoning

Gilbert Arenas points out various areas of basketball where Stephen Curry falls short to be in true consideration for GOAT status.

Gilbert Arenas disqualifies Stephen Curry from GOAT considerations with solid reasoning

Steph Curry

GOAT talk in sports has become an obnoxious obsession for many fans, casual and die-hard ones alike. Whether it’s LeBron James, Lionel Messi or Novak Djokovic, all of these players have been given this status by their stans. Though some like James have actively campaigned for this status, most, like Stephen Curry, don’t care about their place in these discussions. Jordan actively detested such talk in public.

That hasn’t stopped the media from engaging in GOAT debates. All-time rankings remain among the most popular lowest common denominator topics for analysts to engage. Every time LeBron James does something on or off the court, its fallout in terms of his legacy is raised. Stephen Curry was elevated to this discussion when he won his fourth NBA title with the Warriors in 2022, much to the chagrin of some fans.

Gilbert Arenas is one basketball analyst who has vehemently maintained that Curry doesn’t belong in this discussion. Arenas has been consistent about this stance in this debate since it gained traction three years ago. He brought the topic back on his show during the latest episode of Gil’s Arena.

He’s missing a lot (of credentials). Scoring titles, Finals MVPs. When we’re talking about the best player ever, you can’t lean on team accolades. Everybody wants to lean on rings like that actually helps your case for the best player ever. The best player ever is what did you do as an individual first. It’s no different than baseball, right? Barry Bonds is one of the GOATs, or he is the GOAT. I don’t even know if he ever won a championship. It’s like, what did you do? Your team success is team success. That’s players on top of players. But Barry Bonds is probably one of the two greatest players of all time.

Gilbert Arenas explained his stance on Stephen Curry’s place in the GOAT debate

Arenas compared Jordan’s haul of six Finals MVPs, five MVPs and 10 scoring titles to Curry’s accolades to illustrate his point. He also cited Kobe Bryant and LeBron James as two players worthy of being in the same discussion. Arenas was adamant about viewing players as individuals against other individuals instead of leaning on their team achievements.

Does Stephen Curry have a legit GOAT case?

When looked at objectively, Curry may have had one of the most storied journeys in basketball. However, the GOAT discussion is about being at the apex of the sport. And regretfully, there isn’t a clear-cut year when Curry was head-and-shoulders above the field.

He came close to this status in 2015-16, and then in 2021-22. But one year he lost to James after getting injured in the playoffs. The other year, he didn’t quite have the same impact as his best seasons, despite putting up volume stats.

On top of this, Curry is also known as one of the league’s least effective defenders. While he’s become more adept at playing to his strengths on that end, Curry needed to be schemed for by his own coaches on account of his lower lateral mobility. The likes of Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala have accolades because they were so instrumental in covering for him on that end.

With this being said, it is also important to remember how impactful and influential he has been. Curry has set the tone for the 3-point explosion in the league over the past 10 years. His shooting blueprint has given front offices confidence in players banking on their long-range shot. It has also allowed them to go ahead with shooting more 3-pointers than ever before.

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