In a league where three-pointers rain like confetti, Stephen Curry has rewritten the basketball playbook with his supernatural shooting ability. The Golden State Warrior’s sharpshooter has not just changed the game, but also revolutionized it, making the impossible look routine with his 40-foot bombs and lightning-quick release. Yet, according to a Los Angeles Lakers legend, Curry’s stellar career might have followed a different trajectory had he played in the era of the 1980s.
In the recent episode of Byron Scott’s Fast Break podcast, the Lakers legend and former assistant coach asked Byron Scott which current players according to him would have played well in the 80s. The 63-year-old spared no time in answering and went on to name players like LeBron James, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, and Stephen Curry. However, the 68-year-old former coach was not content with the latter option.
“I think the only one would be Curry but I think he would be effective but you remember when we used to play, we had that, you go to test the wood. Remember we play Kevin Johnson? So them drives to the basket and on the ground. So I think that probably would have deterred him a little bit cause Curry’s a tough kid still but I think he would have been shooting probably, like right now in the game Curry shoots he probably goes 60-40, 60 jumpers and 40 insides; see that would have been drastically cut down. It would probably been 90-10,” Cooper said, via Byron Scott’s Fast Break.
The 1980s NBA was a different beast altogether, where hand-checking was legal, zones were illegal, and the paint resembled a boxing ring more than a basketball court. Players like Cooper, at 6’5″, and his contemporaries utilized their size and physicality to disrupt offensive players, especially those of smaller stature.
Curry, standing at 6’2″, has masterfully adapted to the modern NBA’s space-and-pace style. His ability to create separation through intricate dribbling, combined with his lightning-quick release, has made him nearly unguardable in today’s game. However, Cooper’s critique raises valid questions about how these skills would translate to an era where defenders could literally body-check offensive players without fear of whistles.
via Getty
As this debate continues to simmer among basketball purists and modern fans alike, it underscores the perpetual challenge of comparing players across different eras. However, during this podcast, the former coach also gave some insights about another Lakers veteran.
What Michael Cooper said about his time with Kobe Bryant
The 68-year-old former shooting guard spent 12 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, during which he earned a Defensive Player of the Year title and made 8 NBA All-Defensive team appearances. After his stint as a player saw an end, he became the assistant coach of the Lakers and had the luck to train great players like Kobe Bryant. But during the latest podcast, the former shooting guard revealed that he was deceived by Kobe Bryant during one practice.
According to him, the then GM of the Lakers, Jerry West, had come up with a unique style of practice in which Kobe had to go past all the players that were in front of him and score from a particular point as said to do. Bryant excelled in that practice so well that he even went past his assistant coach Cooper. “Every time he was supposed to do something, he got to where he was supposed to go. Did he get the shot all the time? No. But he got there, and that’s the part that being a unique NBA player, the great ones, get to where they are supposed to,” said Cooper during the podcast.
Kobe’s athleticism was not just about his physical gifts. It was also a product of his relentless work ethic and dedication to his craft. This revelation by Cooper gives us a glimpse that even students can deceive their coaches.
Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.
