Steph Curry is one of the most lethal offensive weapons in the NBA even though he is nearing the end of his illustrious career. We saw proof of that when he lit up Paris in the semifinal and gold medal game of the 2024 Olympic basketball tournament.
Curry is, without a doubt, the best marksmen in the game's history. His ability to shoot from anywhere on the court makes him a very tough player to guard. Curry has also developed the ability to take the ball to the basket and finish at the rim, making him a more difficult cover for defenders.
Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard agrees that Steph is hard to defend but believes that Kyrie Irving is a more challenging cover for him.
"Steph, he just constantly moving, like you can't lose track of Steph," said Lillard on the Club 520 podcast. "Like he's definitely one of the toughest. I just think one-on-one, I say Kyrie is a tough match bro cuz you can guard him perfect, he'll still make it, either hand."
Kyrie takes you to an island
While Curry primarily uses his off-ball movement to free himself from his defender and get open looks, Kyrie is a ball-dominant player who uses his dribble to get away from his man and get to his spots.
With perhaps the deepest bag in the league, Kai loves to go one-on-one against his defender, take him to an island, and put on a series of moves that usually ends with a basket. According to Lillard, Irving's shot is ridiculous in terms of difficulty. Once he starts making those kinds of shots, he usually gets in the zone and becomes unstoppable.
"He do it when it looks like it's hard too," added Dame. "When somebody do it and they feel like they just did it smooth and it's all net, you be like damn, that can turn into him making every shot."
Related: "With Michael on our team, we did not lose a game" - How Michael Jordan humiliated everyone during '84 Olympic tryouts
Iverson also compared Steph and Kai
While appearing on Shaq's The Big Podcast, Sixers Hall of Famer Allen Iverson also compared Steph and Kyrie on offense. AI said that Curry also has good handles, but his shooting almost always bails him out. Meanwhile, Irving gets his shots because he has the most complete handle package ever .
"Hell yeah, he got the best (handles)," admitted AI. "And Steph's handle is crazy but Steph, his jumper get him over a lot. Kyrie will have you beat and then bring it back and play with it. Like he's toying with people. He can still just go but if he feels like playing with you."
Make no mistake, Steph may be more dangerous because three points is always better than two. However, when it comes to playing defense against Kyrie, his complex offensive arsenal makes him a more demanding and more frustrating player to defend.
Related: "I think those three, Lance Stephenson, and Kemba Walker" - Damian Lillard once named the league's top ball handlers
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