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Paul Pierce says LeBron James’s Impact Is Less Than Stephen Curry’s

Paul Pierce, the Hall of Fame small forward from the Boston Celtics who is currently a talking head on Showtime and Fox Sports, responded to a recent FS1 edition of “Undisputed” with hosts Skip Bayless and Keyshawn Johnson with what appears to be a somewhat heated view.

The 2008 Finals MVP and ten-time All-Star point guard for the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry, asserted that his rival and future Hall of Famer LeBron James, who is currently playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, and Hall of Fame shooting guards Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant have had less of an impact on basketball. Let’s examine Pierce’s assertion.

Pierce said,

“There’s been more 20-point comebacks in the league because teams are shooting the ball more from three, they’re drafting players, they’re signing bigs who can shoot the three, and that’s the [kind of] influence that Steph has had on the game,” “[Steph Curry’s] influence on the game has been greater than [LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant]… I watched the Celtics game last night… Their first 10 shots were three pointers.”

Is Paul Pierce right in rating Steph Curry over LeBron James?

Is this just the fiery opinion of a jealous opponent of LeBron James, or does the former NBA champion and ten-time All-Star have a point? In 2009–10, Curry’s rookie season as a professional, the league averaged 18.1 triple tries per game, according to StatMuse.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) shoots between Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane (22), guard Ziaire Williams, rear, and forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (13) during the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball Western Conference playoff semifinal in San Francisco, Saturday, May 7, 2022. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Ironically, the Minnesota Timberwolves passed him over twice in that year’s lottery while selecting Ricky Rubio and the legendary Jonny Flynn, two other point guards. He was only the seventh chosen overall from Davison in that year’s draft class. But I’m getting off topic. Teams are presently attempting 35.0 three-pointers per game on average this year. Thus, in the fifteen years that Curry has been in the league, three-point shooting has almost doubled.

Pierce makes a valid point. The main issue with Curry’s influence as a long-range shooter is that it can be replicated far more easily than Jordan, James, or Bryant’s raw athleticism or competitive spirit. It takes technique to shoot three points; it’s not a natural talent. James in particular has a distinct body type that is ideal for dominating basketball; it is impossible to try to imitate for just anybody. It’s a little pool, but a Giannis Antetokounmpo or Paolo Banchero can give it their all.

Curry is having another excellent long-range shooting season, but that hasn’t translated into a strong season overall for Golden State, whose other key players from the 2022 championship period are aging quickly.

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