Stephen Curry: Can Mark Jackson Turn Curry into a Top 5 Point Guard?

Stephen Curry has spent the early part of his career under the tutelage of the defenseless Don Nelson and the clueless Keith Smart. Now Curry will embark on a new journey with the Golden State Warriors rookie head coach Mark Jackson.

Jackson may be new to the art of NBA coaching but the fact that one of the NBA's all-time great point guards will be roaming the Warriors sideline can only help the still-developing game of Curry.

Finally, Curry will get to learn the nuances of the position from a former NBA Rookie of the Year and the league's third all-time leader in assists, which should bode well for a player who will be entering his fourth full season of playing point guard, the first of those in college.

That's not to say that Curry hasn't progressed nicely in his first two seasons in the NBA, and his averages of 18.6 points per game, 5.9 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 48 percent shooting from the field were an improvement from his rookie season.

But in the NBA, it's the little things that count and there are areas of Curry's game that can improve such as situational perception, controlling the tempo and flow of a contest and decision-making.

Enter Jackson, who was able to craft a long and successful NBA career by mastering all three of the previously mentioned aspects of the game.

Few NBA point guards were as good as Jackson at recognizing the defensive tendencies of opponents and attacking them accordingly, and he was a master at understanding when to force the issue in transition or when his team's purposes would be better served in a half-court set.

More importantly, Jackson's career 3.29 assists-to-turnovers ratio, which is second only to John Stockton's, is a good example of his superior decision-making skills and Jackson's ability to get the ball to his teammates in optimal scoring position.

And Jackson accomplished all of that without the benefit of Curry's natural offensive ability.

So imagine if Jackson is able to inject his wisdom and knowledge of the point guard position into a player who arguably has the purest jump shot in the NBA, and has already displayed a keen understanding of the game?

Could we all be witness to the birth of an NBA top five point guard in Curry next season?

I guess it depends on whether or not Curry is able to translate Jackson's teachings to his game, and if he can, how far away is Curry from the game's top five point guards right now?

If I were compiling a list of the NBA's top five lead guards it would probably include names like Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose, Steve Nash and either Rajon Rondo or Russell Westbrook.

Nash is the elder statesman of that group and while his game has defied time, Nash is quickly approaching 40 and the decline of his game and status as one of the game's best is inevitable.

Paul, Williams, and the league MVP Rose are firmly entrenched in their roles as the top three lead guards in the NBA, but it is possible that Curry can challenge Westbrook and Rondo for one of the final two slots.

Curry is already a better pure scorer than either Rondo or Westbrook, but he trails both players in athleticism, defensive ability and distribution skills.

Curry will never be as good an athlete as Rondo or Westbrook, but Jackson can certainly help him become a better defensive player and distributor than he is now.

But in the end Curry, Jackson and the Warriors will be judged on their ability to win games, and while Curry's game should definitely improve under Jackson it won't reflect in the conversation for the league's top point guards unless Golden State becomes relevant.