If you watched the Christmas Day tilt between the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers, there was likely a moment during the second half of the game that caused you to spit out your hot chocolate or egg nog.
ESPN analyst and former Warriors coach Mark Jackson tried to make the case why Steph Curry, who is right now in December 2015 the most dynamic athlete walking Planet Earth, is hurting the game of basketball because he makes it look too easy.
“To a degree he’s hurt the game. What I mean by that is I go into these high school gyms, I watch these kids, and the first thing they do is run to the three point line. You are not Steph Curry. Work on the other aspects of your game. People think he’s just a knockdown shooter. That’s not why he’s the MVP, he’s a complete basketball player.”
It’s hard to believe that the reigning MVP of the league and someone averaging 30.8 PPG this season is a detriment to the game of basketball. Not to mention that, but Curry is an exemplary person off the court and a great representative for the NBA. Jackson coached Curry for three years in Golden State, so one would think he has a pretty good understanding of his game and just how revolutionary Curry’s skills truly are.
In spite of the fact that they are an otherworldly 28-1, the Warriors aren’t shy to engage in any kind of perceived criticism that comes their way. Curry and teammate Andrew Bogut both responded to their former coach’s comments. While Curry seemed to laugh it off, Bogut skewered Jackson and his analysis. Via Yahoo:
“I have to talk to him,” Curry told Yahoo Sports. “I don’t know what he means by that. If you can shoot, shoot. If you can’t, stop.”
Warriors center Andrew Bogut, who also played under Jackson, didn’t appreciate his former coach’s remarks.
“Anything he says, you can take that with a grain of salt,” Bogut said. “And you can quote me on that.”
There’s still plenty of speculation regarding Jackson’s relationship with the Warriors given how things ended between the two sides in Oakland and how much success the team has had without him. Removing that history though, I think I can understand where Jackson is coming from, even if you’re more likely to dismiss these comments immediately. Of course “Steph Curry is hurting basketball” is a pretty ludicrous starting point for any conversation, but I’m fascinated by Jackson’s underlying point. (One that could have been made about young people learning the game of basketball without trying to lay it at the feet of the NBA MVP, and let’s be honest, whether or not the three pointer is good for basketball is not a new debate.)
In truth, it’s an old complaint by basketball analysts for a new generation. What have we heard for years and years? Young basketball players weren’t developing proper fundamentals because all SportsCenter would show on their highlight packages were dunks or behind the back passes or other “wow” plays. But because Curry is so amazing at shooting the three, so skilled at getting off his shot quickly and in tight windows, so effective from any range… it’s the three pointer that is becoming the highlight play. So instead of young players practicing between the legs dunks trying to be Kobe, they’re practicing dribbling back to the three point line and launching it like Steph.
Steph Curry 3-pointer (Vine by @NBATV) https://t.co/9MTKiHZ4QS
— Wicho (@mduran71) December 19, 2015
It’s a new day for the NBA and the three pointer is becoming more and more valuable as analytics have a greater understanding of its impact and Curry demolishes records. Last season the average NBA team attempted 1838 threes. In the ’94-’95 season, that number was just 1255 attempts – a 46% increase in the last 20 years. The reliance on the three pointer and the modern evolution of basketball goes way beyond Steph Curry, he’s just been the one to perfect it.
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