The 4 least-scrutinized players in the NBA right now
By Luke Duffy
3. Stephen Curry
Please remember that we said least scrutinized and not most liked by fellow players. If that was the case Stephen Curry would probably rank near the bottom of that particular list. But if anything you could make the case he should appear even higher here. The only thing stopping him being the broken hand that had him much most of the season. Out of sight, out of mind.
He’s got nothing left to prove, having won multiple titles with the Golden State Warriors. More than that, he changed the game in a way perhaps not seen since Michael Jordan, with the demise of the lumbering centers and the ascension of smaller guards with unlimited range (such as Young) taking their place.
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Most younger fans can relate to Curry over the LeBron’s and Giannis’s of the world because he is much more like them. A smaller guy who can shoot the ball amazingly well. Again not going to win you any popularity contests with your peers as you shrink the market demand for a lot of them, but that’s not Curry’s fault.
He has the narrative of having overcome various ankle injuries to become the player he is today, while also staying with the one franchise in order to win titles. This is where the narrative is favorable to Curry, however, as he never had to look elsewhere to play on a contending team as superteams were drafted and built around his once in a generation skillset.
He is the son of a former NBA player in Dell Curry so he’s been around the league his whole life, and the way he carries himself makes him extremely likable to the public too, as it should. Having never won a Finals MVP is one knock against him, but you don’t hear much of that because he was also the first-ever unanimous choice for regular season MVP. It truly is still Steph’s world.