West was 6'3" 175 pounds. Slightly taller but lighter than Curry. That is the point I was making though. They played in different eras so they developed their games differently. Curry would have gone to the paint more in the 60's, while West would have shot the deep ball a lot more today. Curry is an excellent ball handler with solid court vision. And while he isn't a great defender, he does have quick defensive hands and a knack for getting steals (even leading the league once in spg and twice for total steals). Curry would have been a superstar in any era, a different style of play to match the era, but a superstar nonetheless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj9jbyUlsPU
Jerry West himself saying his height. 6 foot 4 and a half with a 6-9 wingspan. Similar to D-Wade in height (taller Wade 6 foot 3 and 3/4ers) and length (Wade 6-10 three quarters wingspan) but not bulk (Wade 215lbs).
Curry is nowhere near West in height or athleticism.
Curry cannot get to the paint and finish at a high rate because he lacks the athleticism / quickness to do so. Curry cannot diversify his offense as well as other players as a result. He is more reliant on outside shooting / outside scoring.
I feel like you’re just asserting these things as true without actual evidence. Curry just shot 76% from 0-3 feet in the last season - he’s an unstoppable inside finisher. He’s impossible to compare to people from West’s era with the way people dribble these days vs the strictness of it back then.
Yeah on small volume. Volume is the key here.
Guys like West and Tiny Archibald lived in the paint. They were far more dynamic athletes. Not all PGs live in the paint like that. Tiny was a freak in terms of his quickness. Nobody could stay in front of him. That is why he was able to get there so often. Quickness & aggressiveness off the bounce.
Steph is not like that. He is a moderate driver & finisher close the basket. He is that today. He was that as a young player in 2009-13. We have seen him in different times & different roles. We have a pretty good idea of how he fares in a role where the PG has more playmaking responsibilities vs off-ball responsibilities. We have a good idea of how well he drives the basketball. How well he finishes.
Steph is a solid but unexceptional driver. He gets around 25% of his buckets within 10 feet of the rim according to Bref.com which is similar today as in the 2009-13 period before he upped his 3s from 33-45% to 55-60% of his total shot attempts. Most of that difference came from changing long 2s into 3s. So just switching which outside shot he took. That his game = outside shooting & outside scoring of which he is among the very best (if not the single best) of all time.
That outside scoring & shooting threat translates well to other eras but he is not a well-rounded scorer who scores at a high level around the basket. He is not a top notch driver who beats people off the bounce at high frequency (only moderate frequency). That is not his game. He is not as good at that.
Tony Parker was a guy in recent times who could get into the paint at will. He lived there. Got there whenever he wanted. He took about 50% of his shots within 10 feet of the basket compared to 25% for Steph. Parker actually took 55% of his shots within 10 feet in his prime 2006-14. That is who Tiny Archibald was.
