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Golden State Warriors: S/I ranks Steph Curry as top guard in 2019

By Nathan Beighle

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 8: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors poses for a portrait with the Larry O'Brien Championship trophy after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals on June 8, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 8: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors poses for a portrait with the Larry O'Brien Championship trophy after defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Four of the 2018 NBA Finals on June 8, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Not only did he ranked No. 3 overall, the Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry also ranked as the top point guard in S/I’s recent top 100 list.

Did this surprise you? Behind Kevin Durant and LeBron James came Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors wonderboy. Next season, it could arguably be Curry and Durant both atop of the list with James boarding 34-years-old.

Team-wise, the Golden State Warriors have won three of the last four NBA championships and have truly created a dynasty in the Bay. With the Dubs most recent acquisition of DeMarcus Cousins, they arguably boast the best roster of all-time.

It all started with Steph Curry. A kid from Davidson who wouldn’t stop working at his craft.

Ultimately, this article is about the future, and Curry’s continued contributions. However, if it weren’t for his NBA come up, we wouldn’t be discussing the Dubs immense success.

As for Sports’ Illustrated’s ranking, they placed Curry as the top overall guard. Coming right after Curry was Rockets point guard and 2018 NBA MVP, James Harden. Harden was the second overall guard.

This move was also pretty interesting. Curry obviously isn’t as involved as Harden. While Curry did have a high 31% usage rate last season, Harden topped the league at 36.1%. Harden captained a Western Conference-leading Rockets.

This season, that might switch though. The Rockets weren’t able to spend their way into long-term contention with the Dubs. Losing out on Trevor Ariza this offseason could put quite the damper on their dynamic offense.

Curry also ranked higher than 2017 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook. Westbrook, the leader of his OKC Thunder, struggled to lead a successful team alongside star Paul George. However, they did make the postseason, a commendable feat in the West.

Needless to say, Curry’s success might’ve caused this peak. With the addition of DeMarcus Cousins and the continued excellence of Draymond Green, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant, it’s almost guaranteed that Curry won’t put up individual numbers than James Harden or Russell Westbrook.

For S/I, these rankings might take into account team success. Curry is the pinnacle of putting team over self. Albeit he took the max to stay in the Bay, the two-time MVP has, at times, taken a back seat to his superstar teammates.

When describing Curry in the article, national S/I writer Rob Mahoney encapsulated Curry’s impact perfectly.

"The entire ecosystem is predicated on the idea that a player doesn’t need to dominate the ball to dominate a game. Curry took that noble idea and elevated it beyond any reasonable expectation."

Next. Which current players are headed to the Hall of Fame?. dark

Curry impacts the game in an array of ways and has proven to be a force in the NBA. While No. 3 will shock many, it’s certainly deserved.

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