Golden State Warriors: All-Decade Team for the 2010’s
Point Guard: Stephen Curry
The 2010s belong to the Golden State Warriors, yes. But Stephen Curry might just be the face of the decade overall.
His name is littered across all kinds of lists — accolades, scoring feats, championship prowess. He began the decade capturing All-Rookie Team honors in 2010 and has transformed into one of the top five players in the game, any given year.
As the image of the Golden State Warriors changed, so did Stephen Curry’s image. He began as the lovable little guy — the shooter with ankle problems, the undersized point guard that didn’t have what it took to facilitate.
And he became the villain.
The baby-faced assassin wreaked havoc across the league thanks to his revolutionary three-point efficiency. In five different seasons, Curry led the league in most three-pointers made in a season.
He still owns the record of 402 in a single year.
And it wasn’t by chucking up shots a la James Harden. He’s shot 43.5 percent from distance through his career.
Lost in his incredible three-point touch, Curry’s efficiency is historic. He’s shot over 60 percent in effective field goal percentage across three different seasons. He even made the very limited 50-40-90 club in 2016.
The 2016 season might go down in history as one of the greatest single seasons in NBA history. Following his 2015 MVP selection, Curry became the first unanimous MVP in the history of basketball.
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It was deserved.
He led the league in points per game, steals per game, free throw percentage, total three-pointers made. And he had an absolutely absurd 63 percent eFG percentage.
To put that in perspective, it’s the highest eFG percentage ever in a single season for a guard. Not in the last ten years, not in the last twenty, not since the end of the ABA. Ever.
The six-time All-Star has completely changed the game of basketball in ways that basketball fans are yet to completely accept.
His dominance from long-distance has sparked discussions about moving the three-point arc further back. His three-point shot has reformed the game just as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s skyhook did.
There is not another name that should be included on this list other than Curry’s when it comes to point guard. He should be considered the top point guard of the decade across the entire NBA.
Stephen Curry will go down in history as the greatest shooter to ever play the game.
He may never receive the credit that he deserves. He may have to battle against the moving goalposts propped up against him every season — the finals MVP quip, the misguided remarks about his inability to produce in the playoffs.
But Stephen Curry has changed the game. And he’s changed this franchise more than any other player in Warriors history.