NBA: Steph Curry Not True Point Guard Says Hall Of Famer

Stephen Curry is hands down one of the most prolific scorers to ever step on the basketball hardcourt. But for a retired player who used to play Curry’s position – and is even considered one of the best in history – the two-time MVP’s credentials, let alone his style of play, do not fare enough for him to be tagged as a true point guard.

Gary Payton, arguably one, if not the best two-way guard in NBA history, said that the Golden State Warriors star plays more like a shooting guard and not as a PG like the infographics and stats sheet label suggests below his name.

Asked about who for him are the best point guards in the game by NBC Sports Bay Area's Logan Murdock and Kerith Burke on the “Runnin’ The Plays Podcast”, the 2006 NBA Champion said, "That's a question that is kind of difficult for old people.”

The 51-year-old former nine-time All-Star then followed up, "You look at Stephen Curry. You put him as a point guard. He's not a point guard. He's a two-guard.” Payton also cited other players who are introduced as point-guards but do not play as one like Curry. “You look at (Russell) Westbrook. He's not a point guard. He's a two-guard. You look at James Harden. He's not a point guard, he's a two-guard.”

For him, only two active players of the one-spot pass his standards of a real point guard: Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo, although he sees the 14-year veteran Paul as someone who has somehow joined the revolution and turned into playing more like a two.

"To me, there are only two guards in this league that are true point guards. That's (Rajon) Rondo and Chris Paul,” Payton said. "Now, Chris Paul has turned into a shooting guard more, but Rondo is a true point guard," Payton continued. "He looks first to get people off. He does his defense and he makes people better around him. Not, let me score 30. Not, let me shoot a jump shot first. He's not doing that. If we name a lot of point guards that's right now in this NBA, they are not point guards."