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Dahntay Jones threw some shade Stephen Curry’s way, though Warriors fans will doubt his words’ actual affect on the Baby-Faced Assassin.
The former Cavaliers guard expressed doubt about Curry’s Top-10-active-players status — which is strange considering Curry’s star power — during a recent Barstool Sports podcast that went viral Monday morning.
“People get mad at me because I don’t declare him a top 10 player in the NBA, which is fine,” Jones said, per USA Today. “I’ve got him on the outside, like 11, 12.”
That’s a pretty dubious among those in the NBA sphere since Curry is one of just nine players in NBA history to win multiple NBA MVP awards and two-plus league championships. Jones clearly understands how controversial his statement is, especially since the 36-year-old has been around the NBA for
Even though Jones said Curry is “very good, don’t get it twisted” he added that defense weighs heavily on his personal list, which is topped by LeBron James (No. 1), Kawhi Leonard (No. 2), Kevin Durant (No. 3). Other players he mentioned (without an order) are John Wall, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Jimmy Butler, Chris Paul, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Davis.
“He bloomed late, like Tom Brady,” Jones said of Curry. “So you’ve got the kids in eighth grade that are dominating, and they’re No. 1, and you never see them again. Then you’ve got the kids who are going through their growth spurts in 12th grade. It takes them three years, then when they catch up, everybody else has settled … to repeat greatness on a yearly basis is the, probably, hardest thing.
“Consistency is the hardest thing in any level of expertise, period. To be consistent on a yearly basis, that’s what makes people great. And everybody can’t do it, they can’t practice it. (Curry) having the patience, the confidence and the courage to keep fighting all those battles, that’s what makes him good right now.”
Somehow, ranking Curry ahead of Chris Paul seems wrong — at least to Dub Nation.