When the thought of who the best player is at a specific position in the history of the NBA, not only do you focus on the numbers, but also the impact a player has not only on the court, but also off the court to represent an organization.
The off the court aspect signifies the intangibles a player brings to his teammates and the franchise.
At the point guard position, who are also known as the floor generals, so many names pop up. From Magic Johnson, Bob Cousy, Oscar Robertson, Walt Frazier, Isiah Thomas to John Stockton come to mind. These are players who primarily played before the turn of the 21st century.
Some top point guards that come to mind after the calendar shifted to 2000 include names like Steve Nash, Chris Paul and Jason Kidd.
Every player writes their own story in order to try and get to the Hall of Fame, whether it is through honors, championships, their style of play, the longevity to play their entire career with one organization or the leadership they possess.
Up until the last three years, it felt automatic that Johnson was the top point guard in NBA history as he won five NBA championships, three Finals MVP awards, 3 league MVP honors and was a 10-time All-NBA all with Los Angeles Lakers during the ‘Showtime Lakers’ Era for a part of his 13-year Hall of Fame career.
However, there has been one player who pushed the needle and has almost, or already has completely moved the needle, who also plays on the West Coast.
That player is Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry, who will begin his 14th NBA season for Dub Nation this fall.
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Curry, who became the all-time three-point king last December, had a six-year period where he was not only the top point guard in the game, but one of the best players in the game before rejuvenating and regaining his form this season.
From the 2013-14 season to the 2018-19 season, Curry made every single All Star Game, played in five consecutive NBA Finals, while averaging 26.1 points per game. He was part of a Golden State Warriors team that seemed unstoppable. Even at times when it seemed he could have been better, his teammates still relied on him, even if that was verbally and the things he said to his teammates
Although Johnson averaged a double-double in his career with 19 points and 11 assists, Curry reached that in scoring, and then some. On the assists, he did not have to make every single pass because of how much of a high-tempo offense the Warriors offensive style is.
But there is one component that none of the point guards were able to achieve and that was Curry’s ability to make threes, and not just the occasional wide-open three pointers. Curry knows how to create space, especially from beyond the arc and knock down shots. Because Curry kept making threes, the passing numbers would be down a little bit.
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Curry, who holds the record with 402 three-pointers made during the 2015-16 season, capped off his second consecutive MVP season that year and did so in unanimous fashion, which is something no player in NBA history had achieved.
Last season was a time for Curry to rack up some awards he had not yet received. At the beginning of the season, Curry was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team.
Three months after passing Ray Allen to become the 3-point king, Curry made 16 treys at the All Star Game and received MVP honors, which was also the first year the award was named in honor of the late Kobe Bryant.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Stephen Curry & Golden State Warriors Updates
Then, in the playoffs, Curry received the Western Conference Finals MVP award as Golden State defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games. In the NBA Finals, Curry had 43 points in a must-needed Game 3 victory, which led to winning his fourth title and first Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award.
And the best part: he still has years to go along as long as he limits the injuries and competes for titles every year enters his late 30s while changing the game for the next generation as other players throughout the league, such as Damian Lillard and Trae Young, have already followed suit to continue and grow the title for Curry as the best point guard in NBA history.
