Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics lost to Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals.
But Brown still believes he would beat the star guard in a different type of matchup.
He said during a Twitch stream with DDG that he would “for sure” defeat Curry in a one-on-one matchup.
“It’s like weight classes,” Brown said (02:51:17 mark). “… He’s too small. … One-on-one? Curry’s not beating me.”
Brown is right that he would have the size advantage at 6’6″ and 223 pounds. Curry checks in at 6’2″ and 185 pounds, so the Warriors star might have trouble stopping the Celtics playmaker on the blocks or in back-down situations.
Curry also hasn’t been known as a dominant defender throughout his career, so perhaps Brown is on to something in his analysis.
But Brown would also have to figure out a way to combat Curry’s shooting. And a one-on-one matchup can get out of hand rather quickly if the four-time champion and two-time league MVP catches fire from deep and starts adding three-pointers to the scoreline in succession.
Curry’s lightning-quick handles and ability to hit from anywhere extends the defense and often forces double teams his way, even way out on the perimeter. Brown wouldn’t have the option of help defenders in a one-on-one game, though, and would be left out on an island trying to counter the guard’s quickness both off the dribble and with his shot release.
It would surely be an intriguing matchup, but Brown isn’t lacking for self-confidence in the hypothetical.