Warriors' Steve Kerr: Steph Curry 'Has Changed the Definition of a Point Guard'

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry has redefined the point guard position in the eyes of head coach Steve Kerr.

Speaking with reporters Sunday, Kerr explained how Curry has effectively "created a new position" because he's such a potent playmaker and long-range threat:

Curry isn't solely responsible for the way in which the point guard position has evolved with Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook all fitting the criteria of a combo guard. James Harden qualifies as well as a bit of a tweener after having shifted between the 1 and 2 in recent years.

But Kerr isn't alone in making the point that Curry more than any other guard will influence how future generations view the position.

At 6'3" and 185 pounds, the 33-year-old isn't such a physical outlier where his on-court exploits are almost impossible to replicate. While everybody would like to be LeBron James, not everybody can possess his combination of speed, power, agility and durability. On the other hand, anybody theoretically can dribble, pass and shoot well if they practice enough.

"Watching Steph growing up, it sort of made you rethink what was possible," Providence guard Jared Bynum said to the Washington Post's Jesse Dougherty when he was a high schooler in 2018. "The long shooting, the ballhandling, all of that—I think it had a big effect on how a lot of us play."

Basketball has evolved throughout generations and will presumably continue that trend in the future. Perhaps one day somebody will come along and change what coaches expect from their lead ball-handlers.

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For now, Curry will likely be the standard by which young point guards hold themselves as they rise up through the ranks in pursuit of an NBA career.