Is there anyone who doesn’t love Steph Curry? Kids shooting in the driveway want to play like him, and even his teammates and competitors alike agree that there’s never been anybody like him. Steph is your favorite player’s favorite player, and he’s proven why time and time again.
Steph’s unlimited range is always the first thing people think of that sets him apart, but there’s so much more to his game, from his unparalleled leadership to his flamboyant passing to his underrated finishing ability at the rim.
One ingredient in Chef Curry’s kitchen that’s often overlooked is the way, unlike some players who shall not be named, he doesn’t rely on the refs to get his points. Steph is an ethical hooper, and his former teammate D’Angelo Russell said recently that it’s the reason he’s so unique.
“Steph plays the game with this, ‘I don’t need the refs mentality,'” Russell said on his podcast. “When you look around the league, who’s doing that? That’s why he gets so much credit, that’s why he’s my favorite player. That’s why I respect him so much.”
DLo played with Steph on the Warriors for only half a season back in 2019-20 before being traded to the Wolves at the deadline, but that short time together was enough to leave quite an impression on him. He’s also played alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns, so it’s really telling that Steph is still his favorite.
Many fans believe that Steph has battled the refs throughout his career. Every team designs their entire defensive gameplan around stopping him, and their strategies have included picking him up full-court, trapping him when he crosses the half-court line, bumping and grabbing him when he attempts to get around a screen and trying to bully him on the other end of the court.
Houston’s Dillon Brooks even took to intentionally hitting Steph on his injured thumb whenever he contested a shot when the two met in a first-round playoff series this year. Thought it all, Steph has persevered to become one of the best players of his or any generation.
Conversely, the uphill battle Steph fights against the refs is canceled out to some degree by the things his teammate Draymond Green gets away with. Draymond is known as a to tread the line and has at times, gone overboard, and Steph doesn’t need to talk to the refs because Draymond is always in their ear.
If basketball were wrestling, Steph would be the league’s most popular baby face, while Draymond would be its biggest heel. Having them inextricably linked to the Warriors through all these years is what has made that team so fascinating to follow.
