How do you categorize Stephen Curry’s game? A player who seems to have no offensive weakness be it his slick handles or his playmaking and obviously his elite shooting. But would you consider him one of the greatest scorers ever? Well, he certainly looked like it in the final two games of the Paris Olympics. However, NBA legend Gilbert Arenas believes there is a difference between being a great shooter and a great scorer as he named two young stars who he considers better at putting the ball in the hole than the Baby-Faced Assassin.
Debating why shooters are not put in the same tier as great scorers, Arenas said, “It’s an overall thing like Devin Booker would be considered more of a scorer than Steph.” As strange as it may sound, Agent Zero claimed Book was more of a “natural scorer” than Steph. Sure enough, Booker has been the primary scoring option for the Phoenix Suns throughout his career and has a career average of 24.3 points. Moreover, he can score the ball in multiple ways from three-pointers to mid-range pullups to athletic dunks.
Appalled by the claim, Brandon Jennings defended the Warriors star, “But Steph’s whole game been scoring though.” Yet again, Arenas countered, “Like Trae Young is considered more of a natural scorer than Curry.” Yes, the Hawks star who many even call the second coming of Stephen Curry because of his unlimited range has a career scoring average of 25.5 points. And he has shown time and again during the regular season and playoffs that he can get buckets whenever he wants. But Jennings was still not convinced, “That’s crazy! I’m fighting that.” While Arenas has all the right to call Trae and Booker great scorers, they might not be ahead of Steph just yet. Here’s how.
What can’t Stephen Curry do with the ball in his hands?
Sure, Steph is a great shooter and everyone knows it. But he is not your typical catch and shoot sniper. Instead, he can pull up from deep any way he wants, be it off the dribble, pump fake and shoot, catch and shoot or step back. You name the move, he has probably mastered it already. And guess what? Shooting is also part of scoring because the points still get added to the board when you make a three. And no one has made more threes in league history than Steph.
USA Today via Reuters
On top of that, he has won two scoring titles in his amazing career by averaging over 30 points in both seasons while Booker and Young have not done it even once. Yes, they are much younger than Curry, but the numbers are still in Steph’s favor. And you talk about making a fool of the defenders, Steph is a master at generating fouls and sinking the free throws as he has led the league in free-throw percentage four times. Moreover, his elite ball handling skills and amazing finishing ability at the rim also goes unnoticed at times but he is one of the best in that aspect as well.
Sure enough, Curry is such a lethal scorer that even Kevin Durant, arguably the greatest scorer of this era, passed him the ball in the final seconds of the gold medal match in Paris and trusted him to hit the shot over two defenders. Although Arenas’ point is understandable, you be the judge of who the better scorer is among Steph, Booker, and Young.