Stephen Curry is getting very close to making history. By the conclusion of the next season, he will have scored 1,322 points more than any other player in NBA history, making him the 26th player to do so. After LeBron James, Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook, he would just be the fifth active player to reach that feat. Curry is still not regarded by Gilbert Arenas as being as talented a scorer as Devin Booker and Trae Young, though.
During a podcast episode of Gil’s Arena, the team engaged in a contentious discussion regarding the distinction between a shooter and a scorer.
Gilbert Arenas compares Stephen Curry to Devin Booker and Trae Young
Arenas asserted that he considers the Warriors star to be an exceptional shooter and does not see him as a natural scorer. He continued by saying that he thought Booker and Young scored more points than Curry.
According to the three-time All-Star,
“Devin Booker would be considered more of a scorer than Steph. Natural scorer… Trae Young is considered more of a natural scorer than Curry… We take away your handle and say one, two, pull up. How does he survive? From spots to spots to spots… That’s not his game… Our brain doesn’t identify him as a natural scorer, [but as a] natural shooter. It’s two different things.”
Arenas emphasized his claim by stating that most spectators, pundits, and former players would choose Irving and Dame if they had to choose between Curry and Damian Lillard or Kyrie Irving in a one-on-one match.
In essence, he made the case that guards like Booker and Young can score from any spot on the floor and manufacture their own shot. He asserted that the two emerging talents had better finishing moves than Curry, could bank a shot without getting to their preferred locations, and could defeat any player one-on-one.
Despite the complexity in Arenas’ analysis, most people would think Curry’s potential for scoring absurd. The Warriors star is a two-time scoring champion in addition to being among the top 30 scorers in NBA history. Only 19 players have won the NBA scoring title more than once, including him.
