Nate Archibald Compares Stephen Curry to Jerry West

Oscar Robertson isn't the only NBA legend who's talking about Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry. 

On Friday, Hall of Famer Nate "Tiny" Archibald likened Golden State's star to some of the legends of yesteryear when speaking with NBA.com's Steve Aschburner.

While Robertson has attempted to downplay Curry's success and compared him to college stars, Archibald holds him in high regard:

"

He reminds me a little bit of Isiah [Thomas] but more 'Pistol' Pete Maravich. Pistol Pete had a yo-yo on the ball. He could take the ball anywhere he wanted to take it and -- wait a minute now! -- those guys didn't shoot 3-pointers.

But there's another guy I played against, if the 3-point shot was in, he would probably have averaged about 50 points a game. And that's Jerry West. He reminds me of a combo guy like that.

"

Comparisons like that are quite a compliment coming from the only player in NBA history to lead the league in points (34.0) and assists (11.4) per game in a single season.

West, who is the silhouette featured in the NBA's logo, was no slouch, either. The Los Angeles Lakers star recorded more than 25,000 points and 6,200 assists in his 14-year career.

Archibald's comments were also quite different from those of Robertson, who implied earlier Friday that Oklahoma Sooners guard Buddy Hield was a better all-around player than Curry, per SNY.tv's Adam Zagoria.

He also told ESPN's Mike and Mike (via CBS Sports' Matt Moore) in February that Curry is taking advantage of teams that don't know how to play defense and that back in the 1970s, when Archibald also played, Curry would have been treated differently.

Archibald agreed there.

"Oh, he'd have got a whipping," he said, per Aschburner. "But I tell people, you can't put him back [in the 1970s] and you can't move them ['70s stars] up. Different eras of basketball. Certain rules change the game. The rules now is, they want the game to move. And it's not just to his benefit, it's to everybody's benefit."

Curry has built his brand on his ability to shoot the three-pointer. Entering Friday, he had hit a league-record 361 in 72 games, breaking the previous record he set last season. Archibald, however, was quick to point out other aspects of Curry's game that deserve to be commended. 

"We're not giving him enough credit for his ball-handling prowess," Archibald said, Aschburner. "He can pull up on you. And then he's got the left hand to finish off, when you're thinking he's coming back right. 'You stay on that right-hand side, I'm laying the ball up left-handed.'"

If Curry even pays attention to this kind of talk, he can take solace in knowing at least one legendary player appreciates and enjoys his style of play. While we'll never figure out how he would have fared in the days of West, Archibald and Robertson, it's safe to say Curry is already one of the best players of his generation. 

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.