Getty Warriors Stephen Curry against Hawks Trae Young
Ever since Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young’s freshman year at the University of Oklahoma, he has been compared to the two-time regular-season MVP, Stephen Curry. Like Curry, Young can pull up from 30 feet and drain 3-pointers.
During Tuesday night’s broadcast of NBA Game Time on NBA TV, analyst Candace Parker talked about not believing that Young resembled Curry in any way when he entered the NBA.
“Well, I’ll be honest with you, Casey [Stern], when this kid came out of college, they said he was next Steph Curry, and I was like yeah right. There is only one Steph Curry, but I believe he is the closest thing to it at this point,” said Parker.
“I would have to say you’re right just in terms of the way the distance, that he is shooting the basketball from,” said Isiah Thomas. “Then look at his handles, the way he is facilitating, and the way he is getting into the lane. I love everything I’ve seen in Trae and clear his work in the summer has paid off for him.”
Trae Young Doesn’t Think Steph Curry Comparison Is Fair
Earlier this year, Young was interviewed by Bleacher Report and shared that he believes it’s not a fair comparison because Curry is not a shooter.
“No, because he’s not a shooter either,” said Young.
It was more than a bit surprising to hear him state that Curry, who transformed the modern NBA by shooting 30-plus feet from the basket is not a shooter.
“He’s a guy who makes plays,” Young revealed. “Obviously, he’s the best shooter of all time. But he’s not just strictly a shooter. When I think of a shooter, I think of JJ Redick. I think of a guy who just runs off screens and strictly just shoots. That’s how I look at it. Steph’s the best shooter of all time, but I think he’s overall just a playmaker.”
Steph Curry Tired of the Comparison Between He & Young
Last December, I spoke with Curry about the comparison, and he made it clear that Young is his own player.
“My name is Stephen Curry, and his name is Trae Young, and we are two different players. Obviously, I encourage him to continue to be himself and learn. He is going to be great, but he is going to be his own player,” Curry told me.
Former Washington Wizards guard Rod Strickland agreed with the comments made by Curry as well.
When Heavy.com’s Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson interviewed Strickland, he was asked about the comparison. The ex-NBA player shared that he doesn’t think Young plays like Curry at all.
“I don’t really believe that,” said Strickland.
Young is very fond of Stickland, and he reached out to him for guidance last summer before the 2018 NBA Draft.
“He reached out to me to ask me how he could ever have a game like that,” Rod Strickland Robinson on the Scoop B Radio podcast.
“I basically told him that that’s part of the process. What you experience one game is good because now you know what’s in front of you,” revealed Strickland. “I told him it’s going to make him better.”
Strickland was taken with the No. 19 overall pick by the New York Knicks in 1988 and played 17 seasons in the NBA.
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