Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry not considered a “blacktop” player?
When asked by Kevin Garnett to list the top three shooters in the league she’d rather have playing alongside her at the park, WNBA legend Tina Thompson said she’d rather have Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook than Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
Avid fans of other teams might irrationally hate the Golden State Warriors and how arrogant each Warriors player occasionally appears to be on the court and in the media, but each of those players are also men of exceptionally high character.
Unfortunately, being the “nice guy” doesn’t automatically earn you respect from your peers, which is certainly the case with guys like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
On TNT’s segment “Area 21,” host Kevin Garnett asked guests Tina Thompson and Vernon Maxwell to list their top three shooters in the NBA. Thompson, a WNBA legend, seemed as if Klay and Curry’s names were on the tip of her tongue, but she chose to go a different route when KG slightly changed the premise of his question by later asking which top three NBA shooters she’d want to play with “at the park.”
And with that slight alteration, Thompson listed Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard among her list of guys she’d rather have with her on the blacktop. Mad Max went with Curry, Kevin Durant and LeBron James.
When you think of the top shooters in the NBA, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are most likely the first two names that come to mind. Not only do the both of them have the best looking jump shots in the league, but they’ve both consistently been at the top of the league’s leaderboard in made 3-pointers for almost half a decade now.
While I can certainly see the merits of having guys like Westbrook and James on any team in any setting, neither of those two guys are reputable shooters. Though Dame may not be widely considered to be one of the top three shooters, there’s no question he’s still one of the most respected players in league, so I have no qualms over that pick.
Durant is probably the only player I’d comfortably substitute for either Steph or Klay were this hypothetical game to happen. His 7-foot frame makes his jumper almost unguardable, and his range is limitless. Plus, let’s not forget what he did at Rucker Park roughly six years ago.
So why didn’t Thompson include Steph or Klay among her list of top three shooters she’d have on the blacktop? Though there’s certainly something to be said about their light skin tone, I think it mostly has to do with the circumstances surrounding their lineage and the environment in which they grew up.
As sons of former NBA players, both Steph and Klay were introduced to NBA circles at a young age and grew up comfortably. Other guys like LeBron James, Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook didn’t have such luxuries, fighting tooth and nail to earn everything they have now.
That’s not to say Steph or Klay didn’t work as hard — they just got a head start. It’s because of that head start, however, that they aren’t automatically considered to be as “tough” as some of the other guys in the NBA.
Tina Thompson grew up in Los Angeles, CA and went to high school in Inglewood. She figured that Steph and Klay wouldn’t be able to hold their own against the physicality and “hard” mentality that’s all too familiar in pickup games at the park, and I just don’t think that’s a fair judgment to pass on two of the best shooters in league history.
And this wasn’t a case of some irrational disdain for the Warriors — KG compared Tina Thompson to Draymond Green, comparing Thompson’s personality and versatility at the power forward spot to Golden State’s Swiss Army knife.
Though in both Thompson’s and Maxwell’s defense, KG put them on the spot the entire segment, and neither of them looked comfortable with quickly listing players in front of a camera on live TV.
And considering how Max thought of Tony Allen as a “young guy” in the NBA, it’s become more and more clear that NBA OGs don’t pay as close attention to the league as many fans believe they do. I’m certainly of the group of fans that take every NBA legend’s commentary with a grain of salt, and Max’s commentary is just one small example as to why that’s the case.
Next: Dave Chappelle pokes fun at Draymond
I mean, if we’re strictly talking shooters, I’m not even sure why Westbrook or Lebron’s names even came up! Personally, if Curry and Klay weren’t available options, I’d probably mention Durant and Lillard as well, adding in the guy who currently leads Max’s Houston Rockets: James Harden.
Nevertheless, it was a fun bit of television and a rather entertaining segment.