Jason Smith: “Steph Curry is a ‘show’. What he’s able to do to get his shot and makes threes and change how we view shooters is amazing, but right now you wanna sit here and say he’s the MVP?? Uh, the Warriors lost tonight to the Wizards. In the last 12 games, as great as Curry has been, they’re 6-6. If Curry was really leading the team to a higher level – and not that they’re not better with him, of course, they’re better with him – but if you want to say ‘all-time great’ and he’s still the MVP?? You gotta be better than being in ninth place and three games out of the eighth spot… If he was THAT big of a difference-maker, and an MVP, or all-time great, this Warriors team is higher up in the Western Conference. I’m not saying they need to be third or fourth, but you need to be in the conversation. You need to be a team that makes the playoffs. You gotta be a few games over .500. I’m not saying you need to be 20 games over .500, but you need to be 5-7 games over .500… Is his ‘show’ translating into wins? It's not… He’s not a ‘difference maker’ and doesn’t have the skill set of all the other great all-around players in the NBA. He’s not as rounded offensively. He doesn’t get in the paint and open things up. He’s a pretty good passer but he’s not somebody that is going to open things up for the rest of his team. Defensively he’s not a guy who is going to make any plays for you. He does one thing. He gets shots and he’s a big three-point threat and he shoots the ball unlike anybody else. But here’s a night where he doesn’t shoot well and the Warriors lose. There’s no ‘Well, if Steph has a bad night shooting he can do other things to help the team win…’ He doesn’t do it because that’s just not his game. As great as he is; it’s not that he’s one-dimensional but he’s not as multi-dimensional as the other great players in the game are.” (Full Audio Above)
Jason Smith continued his stern critique of Steph Curry’s place among the best players of his generation, as Smith has already been on record the past week (links below) proclaiming that Curry is a ‘fun show’ as the best three-point shooter ever but isn’t an all-time great player, and is actually more of a ‘system quarterback' with limited facets.
Curry is having the best scoring season of his career but his Warriors sit at just 29-30 on the season, and in ninth place in the Western Conference.
Check out the segment above, moments after Golden State’s four-point loss to lowly Washington in which Curry went 7 of 25 from the field, as Jason details why Curry simply isn’t a ‘difference maker’, and doesn’t have the all-around game like the best players in the league do to be able to help his team win when he’s not draining circus threes all game.
Jason Smith: Steph Curry is Simply a 'System Quarterback' Who Doesn't Elevate Teammates
Jason Smith: 'Overrated' Steph Curry Doesn't Make His Team Better
Doug Gottlieb Confronts Jason Smith After Controversial Steph Curry Takes
Ric Bucher: Steph Curry's 'Historic' Season isn't as Amazing as You Think
Colin Cowherd: Steph Curry is Benefitting Off Historically Bad NBA Defenses