Stephen Curry is recognized as one of the all-time great point guards and unquestionably the greatest shooter to ever play the game. Known as the “Babyface Assassin,” there is no denying that Stephen Curry is a terrific talent with exceptional basketball skills as it pertains to shooting, dribbling, and impacting the game. Curry, a four-time NBA champion and two-time MVP winner, revolutionized the NBA by urging players to take as many three-pointers as they can, and that means he is one of the most iconic players ever. Not to mention, if he wins a few more NBA titles, Curry will likely start to challenge Magic Johnson for the title of greatest point guard of all time.
Meanwhile, Isiah Thomas is one of the toughest competitors the game has ever seen. At only 6’1” and 180 lbs, the Detroit Pistons legend had to make up for his lack of size by utilizing leadership and toughness. Year after year, Thomas was an elite floor general who could create shots for his teammates or score himself. That is why Isiah is often mentioned among the greatest players to play in the 1990s because he generated so much respect from his peers and anyone who followed him. Isiah played his entire career with the Pistons and only missed one All-Star Team over his career.
Both Curry and Thomas had amazing careers and should be honored as two of the greatest point guards of all time. Their achievements are extraordinary and their longevity is something that is hard to compare to. We already saw how Magic Johnson has a significant edge over Stephen Curry in the point guard GOAT debate, now, let’s look at how Isiah Thomas fares. To try to distinguish between the two legends, it is time to compare the careers of both players by their most important achievements and statistical categories. Let’s find out who has a career advantage.
Championships
Stephen Curry: 4 (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022)
Isiah Thomas: 2 (1989, 1990)
Four NBA titles have been won by Stephen Curry as a Golden State Warriors player. His first in 2015 was excellent, but despite being the team’s top player, the point guard did not win the Finals MVP accolade. Curry and Durant also shared championship victories in 2017 and 2018, the latter of which came after the star small forward made one of the most unexpected moves in NBA history regarding his free agency decision. Curry would go on to win the 2022 title, which was his most significant victory to date. Curry finally took home his first MVP trophy.
Isiah Thomas won back-to-back championships with the Detroit Pistons in 1989 and 1990, proving to be one of the best leaders in the league during that time. The point guard also led the charge against the greatest player in the world Michael Jordan in the playoffs, taking him out three times. Thomas was one of the pioneers of the iconic “Bad Boy” Pistons group that ran riot in the Eastern Conference, and managed to capture his first Finals MVP award in the 1990 Finals at the expense of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Winning rings is the single most important part of a superstar’s career, and Curry has the edge over Isiah. Steph has played with some all-time great players such as Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, so he had the benefit of competing alongside some elite help. Thomas had his crew with Joe Dumars and Dennis Rodman, but he did not manage to win as much as Steph did.
Advantage: Stephen Curry
Finals MVP Awards
Stephen Curry: 1 (2022)
Isiah Thomas: 1 (1990)
After the 2022 NBA season, Stephen Curry made a breakthrough and won his first Finals MVP award. Steph finally added the Finals MVP honor to his list of career accomplishments that seemed incomplete before. Andre Iguodala, a swingman for the Golden State Warriors, won Finals MVP in 2015 despite being the team’s top player and guarding LeBron James with an average of 16.3 points per game and 5.8 rebounds per game. However, Steph did it in 2022, and it was clear that he deserved it. Finally, Curry was able to shut out the noise of never winning a Finals MVP and that was huge for his career.
Isiah Thomas, on the other hand, won a Finals MVP award as Joe Dumars captured the 1989 Finals MVP award. No doubt, the Pistons do not win back-to-back championships if Thomas is not the most spectacular point guard on the team because his elite offensive play was undisputedly great. Thomas’ 1990 series in the Finals was impressive as the point guard averaged 27.6 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 7.0 APG.
In the end, neither player has a Finals MVP advantage as both captured one. However, Curry has time to take an edge in this category because he is still one of the best players in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors.
Advantage: Even
MVP Awards
Stephen Curry: 2 (2015, 2016)
Isiah Thomas: 0
As a member of the Warriors, Stephen Curry earned both the NBA championship and the MVP award in 2015. For the Warriors, he put up averages of 23.8 PPG and 7.7 APG, solidifying his status as the league’s top point guard. By averaging 30.1 PPG and 6.7 APG, Stephen Curry became the first player to win the MVP award unanimously. Curry cemented his status as the finest shooter we have ever seen by leading the Warriors to the best record in NBA history with a 73-9 record. That means the point guard has won two MVP trophies, which is undoubtedly a noteworthy accomplishment.
Meanwhile, Isiah Thomas never won an MVP award in his career. The point guard had zero chance of winning the award during the 1990s because that was controlled by Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, David Robinson, and Hakeem Olajuwon, among others. The fact that Thomas never won an MVP award does not seem to affect the point guard’s legacy because point guards back then were not required to put up monster scoring performances as they do now. Ultimately, there is a separation between the two superstars because Steph managed two MVP awards while Isiah Thomas never won a single award.
Advantage: Stephen Curry
All-NBA Teams
Stephen Curry: 8 (4 First Team, 3 Second Team, 1 Third Team)
Isiah Thomas: 5 (3 First Team, 2 Second Team)
Stephen Curry has been named to 8 All-NBA Teams, including 4 First Teams. Naturally, he had to limit his choices because he shared the court with other elite guards like Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Damian Lillard. Not to mention, Curry was a late bloomer because, in his fourth season, at age 25, he was named to his first All-NBA Team. Even though he will be 34 years old at the start of the following season, the Golden State Warriors star is still very likely to be named to a few more All-NBA Teams.
Meanwhile, Isiah Thomas made 5 All-NBA Teams, with 3 First Team appearances. Of course, those are incredible achievements for a player who was never in any MVP conversation. The point guard was never really at the level of Curry during the regular season when it came to scoring the ball or impacting the game, and that meant he was selected to fewer All-NBA Teams. What Curry has done since becoming a superstar in the 2015 season has been extraordinary and he hasn’t slowed down yet, having another advantage over Isiah.
Advantage: Stephen Curry
All-Star Selections
Stephen Curry: 9
Isiah Thomas: 12
Stephen Curry has had a total of nine All-Star appearances as he is 35 years old right now. Curry’s early injuries limited the number of All-Star Teams he might have participated in, but the reality remains that he has less than half as many as Isiah Thomas. Making nine All-Star Teams is no small feat, and he still has time to make a couple more before his career is through. Curry, however, has a significant amount of ground to make up if he wants to match Isiah Thomas’s number of 12 All-Star Team selections. Before he retires, Curry is anticipated to have at least 10 or 11 All-Star selections.
Isiah Thomas has a total of 12 All-Star appearances. That is an incredible achievement for a point guard, especially for one that is barely 6’1” and 180 lbs. But Thomas is one of the most intelligent and also toughest players ever, and he was able to impact the game for a very long time. As a bonafide All-Star offensive player, Thomas simply impacted every season with his scoring and perimeter play year after year. Over his 13-year career, Isiah only missed the All-Star Team once and that came in his final season at 32 years old.
Advantage: Isiah Thomas
All-Defensive NBA Teams
Stephen Curry: 0
Isiah Thomas: 0
Anyone who has watched Stephen Curry play since he entered the league can see that he is clearly not an excellent defender. The 6’3″ point guard was frequently harassed by the best players on the other team since he lacks the innate ability to be a force on defense. Curry’s offensive prowess far outweighs his defensive shortcomings, but defense must also be taken into account when comparing his career to others. Out of all the great players, it is rare to see them get targeted on defense, but Steph has often been taken advantage of.
Isiah Thomas never made a single All-Defensive Team selection, although he can be considered a superior defender to Steph. The Pistons legend averaged a career 1.9 SPG and 0.3 BPG, having five seasons of posting at least 2.0 SPG. Curry averaged a career 1.6 SPG and 0.2 BPG and had two seasons of posting at least 2.0 SPG. However, when it comes to All-Defensive Team selections, this one is even.
Advantage: Even
Total Win Shares
Stephen Curry: 127.4
Isiah Thomas: 80.7
Win Shares is a statistic that tries to allocate a team’s wins for each player on the roster. For example, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar owns the single-season record for Win Shares with 25.4 during 1971-72 on a Milwaukee Bucks team that won 63 games. In terms of contributing to a winning side and helping his side to win games consistently, it is obvious Stephen Curry has a better win-share rating than Isiah Thomas.
Stephen Curry has a win shares rating of 127.4, a solid figure that is clearly much higher than Isiah Thomas’. The point guard, for some reason, is more important to his team with regards to win shares when compared to Thomas. The point guard is obviously a player that impacts winning, and this particular statistic does reflect that when comparing the Warriors star to other all-time great players.
Isiah Thomas’s win share rating is lower than Steph’s, which means this advanced statistic showed the latter having more contribution towards team success. Thomas shot lower percentages from the field than Steph and averaged fewer points, so that makes this relatively clear. Intangibles such as leadership and toughness are obviously not taken into account, and Thomas’ win shares figure is lower than Steph’s.
Advantage: Stephen Curry
Career Player Efficiency Rating
Stephen Curry: 23.9
Isiah Thomas: 18.1
Player Efficiency Rating, better known as PER, is a statistic created by John Hollinger, aiming to give each NBA player a comprehensive rating. Hollinger’s PER metric is unique because it combines a player’s positive and negative contributions on the court.
With a PER of 23.9, Stephen Curry is the 20th-best player of all time, according to the statistic. Curry has winning potential because of his incredible offensive skill set and he managed to have shooting splits of 47.5% FG, 42.8% 3-PT FG, and 90.9% FT while averaging 24.6 PPG over his career. On any level, that is absolutely elite, and Curry is always looking for new ways to enhance his game. Curry’s PER is quite significant when looking at his ability to make perimeter shots at a very high field goal percentage.
Isiah Thomas ranks 153rd all-time with a PER of 18.1. Thomas has a positive influence on winning due to his incredible two-way skill set. Thomas managed to have shooting splits of 45.2% FG, 29.0% 3-PT FG, and 75.9% FT while averaging a career 19.2 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 9.3 APG. What ultimately “hurts” Thomas’s PER rating is his rather lower shooting percentages when compared to Steph. It hardly affected his team because Thomas was a big-time player when it counted, but for the sake of this comparison, Steph has an advantage in PER.
Advantage: Stephen Curry
Final ScoreStephen Curry vs. Isiah Thomas 5-1
In the end, Stephen Curry has a significant career advantage over Isiah Thomas and that will stay the course. Steph earns the advantages in this career comparison so far because of his incredible dominance during his prime and his gift of being a consistent offensive force in competing at a high level for 13 seasons so far. In terms of stats, awards, and accolades, Curry has a significant edge over Isiah Thomas and it isn’t really close. At 5-1, this does not seem like a very close career comparison, even if both players are exceptional players with impactful playing styles.
Very few point guards ever, if any, can challenge Stephen Curry when it comes to shooting the basketball. The Golden State Warriors star is the greatest shooter ever and has singlehandedly changed the way basketball is played. Curry has an edge in championships, MVP awards, All-NBA selections, and advanced stats which proves he has had a better career than Isiah and has been the more dominant player.
Isiah Thomas cemented his legacy as an all-time great leader and point guard when he won back-to-back titles with the Detroit Pistons and also for being the head of the “Bad Boy Pistons” teams that beat down Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls time and time again in the late 1980s. Thomas has the edge in All-Star appearances over Steph and can be considered the better playmaker and defender, but the Warriors’ star has had the better career, and this comparison solidifies that.
Source: fadeawayworld
