NBA legend Charles Barkley made a critical comment about Stephen Curry’s game and why it wouldn’t be able to translate to previous eras. Barkley played in the 1990s era led by Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon as the faces of the league. Toughness and more physical defense were bigger parts of the game that Barkley believes would have hurt Curry and other top stars today.
Barkley dropped the following quote about Curry on the New Heights podcast hosted by Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce:
“I love Steph Curry, but if anybody with a shred of common sense tells me Steph Curry could’ve taken the licks Michael [Jordan] was taking, come on, man. And I love Steph Curry. I ain’t never going to say anything bad about Steph Curry, but if people are going to tell me, number one, not just the body blows, but the hand-checking, where you could grab a guy, and he couldn’t move, but If Steph got hit like Michael was getting hit, he’d get broken in half. That’s just a fact.”
Barkley referenced all the physical play and defensive tactics used to bully smaller players. Jordan was named as a player who had to overcome hand checking and other defensive schemes during his time on the Chicago Bulls. Barkley doesn’t believe Curry could have handled that as a smaller and more finesse player.
Why Charles Barkley’s Point Makes Sense
Curry deserves respect for being the greatest shooter ever and having enough talent to thrive in other eras. However, it would be a tough task for any player of his style to play in the more tense 1990s NBA.
Defenders would be able to take some shots at Curry and hand check him before he could plan to shoot from deep. Elite shooters like Reggie Miller and Dale Ellis had to settle for taking a modest amount of three pointers per game since the offense called for more driving and slower pace.
Today’s style of great shooters getting to put up double digit three-point shot attempts per game wouldn’t fly back then. Curry would have been forced to improve in other areas of the game to reach the same level of success he has today with the Golden State Warriors.
How Stephen Curry Could Have Proved Barkley Wrong
Curry is a great NBA player that can do things besides shoot, but his iconic three-point shot is what fans remember most. The lower scoring games of the 1990s would see Curry just needing two or three total three-pointers made per game to impact the results.
Underrated play making and epic dribbling skills could have made up the difference for Curry to make his mark in the 1990s. Winning also deserves respect as a trait that could be done in multiple eras, especially if Curry had an epic big three with equal players to Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.
Barkley should at least be open to the idea of Curry having a chance to thrive in previous eras. Curry could be unfair and state that Barkley couldn’t hang today as a 6’6’’ big man who didn’t have a strong three-point shot, despite his greatness playing for the Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns.
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