#4: Steve Nash vs. Steph Curry
Nash: Prime from 2000/01-2010/11 (11 seasons), 16.6 PPG, 9.8 APG, 49.6 FG%, 43.0 3P%, and 1 MVP stolen directly from Kobe Bryant.
Curry: Prime 2012/13-2014/15, 23.6 PPG, 7.7 APG, 46.9 FG%, and 43.0 3P%.
Steve Nash was the best three-point shooter no one talks about as an all-time great three-point shooter -43% during his prime! While Iverson and Curry seemed distant in their styles, Nash and Curry are eerily similar: high basketball IQs, creative finishers, elite passers, and all-time great shooters. To me there are two reasons Curry is a better offensive player than Nash.
- Curry and Nash are two of the best players in the history of the pick and roll, but Curry’s offensive arsenal extends far beyond basketball’s patented play, while Nash possesses less versatility in offensive sets. To be specific, Curry can run off baseline screens and execute an isolation better than Nash.
- While Curry and Nash shoot almost identical percentages from three, Curry attracts more attention from defenses when spotted up. This returns us to the idea of spacing, something Steph creates like no other in the NBA.