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Warriors' Andre Iguodala Doesn't Think Stephen Curry Gets Respect He Deserves
March 3, 2019
Golden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala told reporters Saturday he thinks teammate Stephen Curry "doesn't really get the respect he deserves," adding:
"Guys think he uses a lot of screens, and guys think they can draw mismatches with him defensively, but he's a real problem. I think I told [Kevin Durant], he said he missed me on the shot he took, and I said, 'Y'all two are like Michael Jordan; there's no such thing as a bad shot.' That's for real, and people don't understand the presence they bring to the court. Especially on the offensive end."
Iguodala made those remarks after his team's 120-117 road win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday. Curry scored 28 points, including six straight down the stretch to turn a 111 tie into a 117-111 advantage.
His most clutch bucket, however, arguably came before that six-point stretch thanks to a 30-foot three-pointer to turn a 109-108 deficit into a two-point lead.
As Iguodala noted, there is no such thing as a bad shot with Curry, as he's one of a few players who can unleash 30-footers—let alone in the final minutes of a game—without anyone blinking an eye.
However, Iguodala gave Curry loftier praise later in the interview, calling him the second-best point guard of all time behind Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson.
He also remarked that Curry won't get as much respect as he merits.
Warriors forward Draymond Green concurred:
"I think so [Curry being underrated]. Magic was great obviously, but it's also two completely different types of point guards. I don't think Steph is close to being the type of point guard as Magic—at the type of point guard Magic was. And vice versa. Magic's not close to being as close to the type of point guard as Steph is.
"But in his own right, [Steph] probably is the best ever, and especially in the way the game is played today. He's continuing to climb; that's amazing. Like Andre said, you still don't see him get the due that he deserves, but it is what it is."
Curry finished first among Western Conference guards in the All-Star voting this year despite missing 11 games, ranking No. 1 among players and fans and No. 2 in the media behind only Houston Rockets guard and MVP candidate James Harden.
But among the greatest point guards in history, Curry may have a case for being underrated, as Iguodala notes. Johnson is universally seen as the best ever, but there's some debate for No. 2. ESPN.com ranked Oscar Robertson second and Curry fourth in January 2016, and the latter's ranking prompted a response from Johnson himself:
That was more than three years ago, so perhaps Johnson's opinion has changed.