Hall of Famer claims Steph Curry would’ve averaged 17 PPG or less in his era: ‘We would’ve hurt him’

An anonymous Hall of Famer allegedly told ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith that if Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry had played in his era, the sharpshooter wouldn’t have averaged more than 17 points per game as players “would’ve hurt him.”

Essentially, the Hall of Famer explained to Smith that the game was significantly more physical back then and that Curry wouldn’t have been protected by officials as much.

The Hall of Famer also argued that Curry would have never recovered from an ankle injury that he dealt with earlier on in his basketball career because players in the Hall of Famer’s era would have made sure to trip the Warriors star.

There didn’t appear to be any disrespect intended at Curry’s skill set. Rather, the Hall of Famer simply had a lot to say about the differences between the eras.

While the anonymous player evidently made some interesting points to Smith, maybe the biggest factor that would’ve held Curry back from being successful in older eras of the NBA is that the 3-point shot was not the vital component of offenses that it is today. He would’ve had to change that.

Curry has relied on the 3-point shot to score his points as much as any player in the history of the league, as he’s the NBA’s all-time leader in made 3s.

For perspective on the increased reliance on the 3-point shot in the NBA over time, Curry alone is averaging 11.2 attempted 3s per game this season. During some seasons in the 1990s, the average team attempted fewer than 11.2 shots per game from deep as a whole.

Clearly, the game has changed. However, at the same time, there are folks who like to use the saying that great players would be great in any generation, and Curry certainly belongs in that discussion.

Even if Curry may not be physically built to thrive in the style of basketball that was played in the past, he’s an elite perimeter shooter and playmaker, and those skills would feasibly translate into individual success in any era.

People will never get a definitive answer as to whether Curry would’ve been able to average more than 17 points per game in an older era of the league, but it’s an interesting thought experiment at the very least.