Stephen Curry- Underrated -
Here’s a guide to Stephen Curry: Underrated — the 2023 documentary (Apple TV+) that blends a classic sports biopic with exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from Curry’s 2021–22 championship season.
While he now stands as the greatest shooter to ever live, his path to the pantheon of NBA legends was littered with analysts questioning his ceiling, coaches passing on his talent, and a league slow to realize that a 6-foot-2 guard with a slight frame was about to burn their playbooks to the ground. This article explores the many facets of Curry’s underrated status, from his collegiate snubs to his revolutionary impact on the modern game.
He is an exceptional passer and handler, controlling the pace of the game.
He didn't just play the game; he changed its geometry. By turning the three-point line into a primary weapon, he forced the entire NBA to adapt to a perimeter-oriented landscape. Still Delivering at 38 Stephen Curry- Underrated
The doubts reached a fever pitch heading into the 2009 NBA Draft. Scouts struggled to define him, labeling him a "tweener"—a player who wasn't a true point guard or a classic shooting guard. An NBA.com draft profile claimed Curry was "not a natural point guard that an NBA team can rely on to run a team".
Left with few options, Curry committed to tiny Davidson College in North Carolina, a school whose basketball program was respectable but far from the national stage. There, under the tutelage of coach Bob McKillop, he began his improbable ascent.
Curry’s journey began with a scouting profile that would have discouraged most: short, skinny, and not a "remarkable athlete". Yet, it was this perceived limitation that fueled his transformation. Here’s a guide to Stephen Curry: Underrated —
In the playoffs, the "clutch" label is even more damning. Despite the media perpetuating the narrative, the reality is stark: Dirk Nowitzki, LeBron James, Michael Jordan, and Kobe Bryant are the only players to have scored more points than Stephen Curry in the 4th quarter of playoff games. In the 2022 playoff run, Curry averaged 9.5 points in the 4th quarter, ranking among the greatest postseason closers in modern history, all while maintaining an absurd 75.6% True Shooting percentage in those moments. As NBC Sports Bay Area recently noted, Curry is tied for the most clutch 3-pointers made in the league, despite missing significant time due to injury.
When Curry entered the 2009 NBA Draft, the skepticism shifted from his height to his professional viability. His scouting reports are now famous for their inaccuracy, with experts: Athleticism
💡 Success isn't always about being the biggest or fastest; it's about being the most prepared. He is an exceptional passer and handler, controlling
How he proved that "underrated" is a temporary label, not a final identity. Why It Matters
If Michael Jordan revolutionized the art of the mid-range and aerial acrobatics, Stephen Curry broke the code of the NBA's geometry. When he entered the league in the 2009-10 season, the Orlando Magic led the NBA in three-point attempts with just 27.3 per game. Fast forward to today, 27.3 attempts would rank dead last by over four attempts per game.
Curry's 2015–16 season remains the most audacious shooting display in NBA history. He made 402 three-pointers — a record so absurd that it shattered the previous mark of 286 set just a season earlier. That season, he became the first and only unanimous MVP in NBA history, confirming what the skeptics had denied: his game was not a fluke but a revolution.
If one looks purely at scoring volume, Curry often trails players like Joel Embiid or Luka Dončić in points per game. However, this is a failure of traditional evaluation metrics. Curry’s efficiency is historically unrivaled.