Has Stephen Curry passed Isiah Thomas on All-Time point guard list?

Back in 2016, ESPN did a ranking of their top-10 point guards of all-time and fans of Stephen Curry and Isiah Thomas were not happy about their guy’s respective places on the list.

Most of the usual suspects were there, with Magic Johnson coming in at the top spot. No argument from me.

The next space was occupied by Oscar Robertson, again, you can make that argument, though I would say that the Big O played in an era that featured no defense and approximately 30 more possessions per game, which made it a lot easier to run up stats.

I never saw Robertson play live, so I am not going to argue that one. The next few spots are where things start to get controversial. ESPN has John Stockton at #3, which is ridiculous. I watched the man’s entire career and yes, he was great but there is no way he was better than Isiah. He just played longer.

Sidenote: Stockton and Malone (look up his past sometime) might be the most loathsome teammates in the history of the NBA and I am glad they never won a ring.*

But Stockton has the accumulated stats to make a case, even though none of his peers (including Magic Johnson) would agree.

The next spot (remember, this was in 2016) was held by Stephen Curry, with Isiah Thomas right behind him in 5th place. At the time, Curry had just one title and one MVP, so there was rightfully argument about it.

Magic Johnson thought it was ridiculous and told us in a series of Tweets:

At the time I agreed with Magic, but in 2022? It’s hard to make the argument for Isiah Thomas.

Stephen Curry vs. Isiah Thomas

It’s always hard to compare eras, but both Curry and Isiah are/were small point guards who relied on high basketball IQ and elite skill level to get it done.

Curry does it with his otherworldly shooting and Isiah did it with one of the quickest first steps and crossovers in the history of the game.

Both are tough players who are underrated defensively and were able to carry their teams to titles even though they were the smallest guy on the floor.

I will say that Isiah’s era was a lot more physical, and it’s hard to imagine Curry holding up to the types of beatings Isiah used to take. Remember when the child rapist (oops, I gave it away!) Malone gave Isiah 40 stitches with a flying elbow to the face?

Hard to imagine the reaction if someone did this to Curry, but Isiah actually came back and played the final six minutes of the game.

Eras aside, Curry has accumulated numbers that just can’t be ignored. And with Steph on the cusp of his 4th title, it’s time to start talking about his place on the All-Time list.

Stephen Curry vs. Isiah Thomas: By the numbers

Isiah played 13 seasons with the Detroit Pistons in his career, and Stephen Curry just completed his 13th season in the NBA.

Here is where they stand in some important statistical categories.

Curry has won three titles and two MVPS, though he has not yet won a Finals MVP, which will almost certainly be remedied if they beat Boston.

Isiah won two titles, zero league MVPS and one Finals MVP.

Curry is an 8-time All-Star and has made the 1st team All-NBA four times, second team three times and the third team once. He’s also won the scoring title twice.

Isiah Thomas was a 12-time All-Star and made 1st team All-NBA three teams and the second team twice. He never won a scoring title but he did lead the league in assists once.

Here is where they stand in career points, assists, rebounds and steals.

Curry: 20,064 points, 5,388 assists, 3,838 rebounds, 1,367 steals and counting.

Career averages per game: 24.3 points, 6.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 3.1 turnovers

Isiah: 18,822 points, 9,061 assists, 3,478 rebounds and 1,861 steals

Career averages per game: 19.2 points, 9.3 assists, 3.6 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 3.8 turnovers

When you look at the numbers, Isiah was more of a traditional point guard, who racked up way more assists on lower usage. Curry is clearly the superior scorer (era and role do matter here) but it’s safe to say that if Isiah played into today’s game, he would probably be shooting more 3-pointers and potentially scoring more points.

You can make an argument for either guy depending on what you prefer, but it’s hard to argue that Stephen Curry hasn’t passed Isiah at this point when you consider rings, MVPs and the fact that Curry is still playing at a high level while Isiah was already retired by his age.

Again, era does matter, and I feel like Isiah’s career would have been longer if he had played now, as advances in modern medicine and training, as well as the less physical nature of the game, might have extended his career.

So if Curry has now officially passed Isiah on the All-Time list, then where does he stand?

Isiah Thomas and Stephen Curry on the All-TIme point guard list

Here are my top-5 point guards of All-Time. If Stephen Curry wins another title (or more) we will have to seriously consider moving him up even higher on this list.

#1: Magic Johnson

Hard to argue with five rings, three MVPs and 10-time All-NBA

#2: Oscar Robertson

I don’t want the even older heads than me to descend so I am just going to leave him here even though his numbers are tainted by the era he played in.

#3: Stephen Curry

Look, you can call the man “soft” (he isn’t) or say he doesn’t play defense (he does) or whatever excuse you want to make, but what he has done is simply unprecedented. And like Isiah Thomas and the Detroit Pistons, Curry has done it all with one team while changing the game of basketball. It’s arguable whether he changed it for the better, but you can’t deny that he is one of handful of NBA players who fundamentally altered the game.

#4: Isiah Thomas

Like Magic, who played against both of them, I don’t believe John Stockton was nearly as good as Isiah. Stockton benefitted from playing with the 3rd all-time leading scorer in the NBA. Stockton’s longevity was certainly impressive, as he played six more seasons than Isiah, but if we are talking pure skill I might put Chris Paul and Steve Nash ahead of Stockton as well.

*To be fair, since I dragged Karl Malone for his crimes, I should point out that Thomas has had his own problems with misogyny, which did taint his overall career for me. I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t at least mention it even though the offenses are not close to the same.

#5: John Stockton

I will reluctantly put Stockton here. If you want to know more about him, Google is your friend.

We are in a Golden Era for point guards in the NBA, and as much as I hate to say it, Stephen Curry has redefined the position and passed Isiah Thomas on the All-Time list.