Outside of his parents and immediate family members, nobody knows Stephen Curry better than longtime teammate Draymond Green. Together on the Golden State Warriors for 13 seasons, the two have toiled in the mud and spilled blood to lift their team from the bottom of the league to the very top of the NBA.
And while many words have been used to describe Curry’s hardwood brilliance, specifically his unique ability to hit shots from absurdly long distances, Green found a term that succinctly captured the essence of his teammate’s game: anomaly.
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Skills unlike any other
An anomaly is something that swerves from what is standard, normal, or expected. And that certainly describes Curry’s game on the court. Standing only 6’3″ with a slight build and approachable appearance, one could almost mistake him for someone who works at Home Depot if he weren’t one of the world’s most recognizable athletes.
In addition, Curry does not have the god-like physique of LeBron James or the blazing speed of John Wall, but he possesses a shooting ability unlike any other. And while some might argue that shooters are a dime a dozen in the NBA, Green makes a compelling case for his teammate’s singular greatness in this area.
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“He’s an anomaly. He’s different than anything we’ve ever seen in this league,” Dray contended.
“He’s not Allen Iverson. He’s not Isiah Thomas. He’s not Richard Hamilton. He’s not Ray Allen. He’s not Reggie Miller,” he continued. “He’s like some mix of all of those guys, and we’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Curry is like a Frankenstein’s monster in high-top Under Armour sneakers. He zips in, out and around screens like Hamilton once did for the Detroit Pistons. He can also spot up and effortlessly nail treys ala Allen. And when crunch time comes around, nobody is more feared with the ball in his hands than Steph, much like Reggie Miller in his prime.
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He has all these qualities and infinitely more, rendering his true nature undefinable even to himself.
“I don’t fit the mold of what I guess a traditional great player is,” Curry remarked. “So I’m aware of all of it.”
He doesn’t need the ball to be effective
When discussing the NBA’s greatest, conversations usually pin down two players: Michael Jordan and LeBron James. And while these two iconic players have different skill sets, one thing they have in common is the need to have the ball in their hands to be at their deadliest.
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This is where Steph veers away, as he is arguably even more dangerous when the ball isn’t in his hands.
“He creates space totally different from anyone else, in large part because he does it a lot without the ball,” Green explained. “The way he creates space off the ball, finds angles, gets himself open, never stops moving.”
In the NBA, no player sucks the defense more than Curry. A threat to launch from deep the moment he reaches the parking lot, defenses scramble, panic and eventually commit costly mistakes in trying to ensure Steph is covered at all times. And even during the times that he is, it still doesn’t matter, as he has proven capable of making shots with the defense draped all over him.
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With Curry now 37 and set to play in his 17th season, it may not be long before the curtain falls on his celebrated career. So, it’s best to appreciate the shows he puts on nightly, as there has never been and perhaps never will be another player quite like him.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 23, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.