With all of the great players who have passed through the NBA since Michael Jordan entered the league in the 1984-85 season, how could I possibly say that Stephen Curry is the most influential player since Jordan? It’s all about being relatable (and talented, obviously).
Imagine a kid looking around the NBA for a star player to be his role model. They will see LeBron James whose body shape of being six-feet-eight-inches tall while weighing 250 pounds with less than five percent body fat and unbelievable talent as being something that no player may ever be able to bring to the table ever again. Curry, on the other hand, stands at six-feet-three-inches tall and weighing only around 185 pounds. He doesn’t have huge muscles, and he even looks like a kid, which has earned him the nickname of “the baby-faced assassin.” When basketball players are at a young age, they simply cannot emulate LeBron's playing style. He is a grown man and he plays like one. Curry is a man, but his playing style of pulling up for three-pointers, slithering through the lane and floating up layups is a style of play that can be copied no matter what age a young basketball player is at.
Now you might be thinking, “Hold on, what about Kobe Bryant?” To that I would say that Kobe is just Michael Jordan 2.0. So while yes, Kobe was great, his game completely mirrors Jordan’s.
Think about Curry and LeBron this way; if we were to fast forward 10 years into the future and look at the NBA, would we see more players who play like Curry or LeBron? The answer is probably Curry. This is why he is the most influential player since Jordan because when we watch the NBA today, players are imitating Jordan’s moves and dunks, and the same will be the case for Curry and his masterful dribbling and shooting. Dominance in the league does not guarantee long-term influence. Look at a player like Shaquille O’Neal and think, would the NBA as we see it today look any different if he had never played? A compelling argument can be made that it wouldn’t because he had such a unique style of dominance that no kid growing up could hope to match it.
According to NBA.com, teams are shooting more three-pointers than ever, with the number of attempts taken in the NBA rising from about 44,000 in 2010 to over 52,000 in 2015, and Curry is leading the charge as the best shooter in the league. Like it or not Steph Curry is changing the NBA, and his impact will be seen for years to come.
