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Is Stephen Curry the Warriors’ Own Kobe Bryant?

By Michael Shultz

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On Saturday night, the Golden State Warriors fell to the Los Angeles Lakers, 85-70. It has been a tough stretch for the Lakers the last couple of seasons, missing the postseason in both seasons and the Warriors are coming off a championship with a dynasty on their minds.

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The San Antonio Spurs have won five of the last fifteen championships and are viewed by many as a dynastic franchise but the last real dynasty belongs to the Lakers, who won three straight from 1999 through 2002. That team was led by future Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal and current Laker, Kobe Bryant. O’Neal was the most dominant player in the league and Bryant was the best all-around performer in the NBA.

The Warriors sport their own superstar in Stephen Curry and he is looking to lead his team to the heights that their southern neighbor reached in the early 2000s. Do the Warriors need Curry to be their own Kobe Bryant, a ruthless competitor who would not settle for anything less than winning championships at all costs? They probably need some of that ruthless competitor but as we have seen, Curry and Bryant’s games are distinctly different.

November 1, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) smiles in front of Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

In the early 2000s, Bryant was the best all-around player in the league because of his undeniable athletic ability, defensive prowess and ultimate confidence in himself. He felt he was unguardable and most of the time he was right. Bryant also had a tendency of being a “ball-hog” taking ridiculous shots instead of trusting his teammates, making him one of the most popular/hated players in the game.

At times, Bryant would hear these whispers from players, coaches and experts and he would completely change his game by overpassing, trying to make the point that he needed to shoot for his team to be successful. He always needed to be the alpha dog even when he had the most dominant player on the planet on his team. His personality and arrogance ultimately led to O’Neal’s departure when it was unnecessary.

It is also why lots of potential free agents last offseason including LaMarcus Aldridge and Marc Gasol, did not want to play with Bryant because of his personality and always wanting to be the alpha dog. These tactics worked for Bryant, evident by how successful his teams have been, winning five championships. Curry is a much different animal.

While Curry has ultimate confidence in himself, he will never acquire the athletic ability or defensive prowess that Bryant had. Instead Curry uses his amazing ball-handling, outstanding court vision and elite shooting to make his teammates better. Sure, there will be times where Curry completely undresses his defender after crossing him over multiple times and hitting a three in his grill.

For the most part, Curry will always find the right play for his team to be successful. He has ultimate confidence in the entire Warriors roster when he distributes the ball, the right play will be made and with the Warriors ball movement, he might get it back in a better position to succeed.

He will never complain that he is not getting enough shots if his team is winning. He enjoys his teammates accomplishments as much as his own. When on the bench or the court, he will celebrate a great play or moment by a teammate without hesitation, which was clearly evidenced during Klay Thompson’s 37 point quarter when he was the most excited Warrior for Thompson’s feat. He is just a different type of superstar, one will bask in his team’s glory as much as his own.

He is the most selfless superstar in this game when most are selfish like Bryant. Potential free agents all want to play with Curry because he will propel their games and give them a chance to compete for a championship.

Do the Warriors need Curry to be their own Kobe? Probably not, except for being a ruthless competitor and having ultimate confidence in himself. We do not want Curry to start feuds with teammates about who is the best or who should get paid more. We do not want Curry to take horrible shots and not trust his teammates. Instead we want Curry to keep being the selfless superstar he is and lead this team to even more glory in the future. As long as he continues to improve along with his teammates and future stars want to join him, this should not be a problem.

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