The answer: Magic Johnson
The case for Magic’s greatness is built on three strong points:
- His remarkable statistical career peak
- His impact on championship success in Los Angeles
- And most importantly, his ability to make his teammates better perfectly aligns with what a true point guard should do.
Curry also makes his teammates better, but not to the same extent as Magic, who is arguably the best in NBA history to do so. Johnson’s size, athleticism, and playmaking ability are precisely what you look for in a point guard, especially in the modern positionless basketball era.
Because of his size, Curry frequently gets hunted on the defensive end and is involved in many pick-and-roll situations. Magic’s versatility and ability to anticipate plays ahead of time is uncanny, similar to Curry’s historic shooting ability.
It’s subjective based on what you prefer in building a team – elite shooting, ball handling, and finishing, or playmaking, size, and speed. Suppose you’re building a team of superstars to have them play against the Monstars. In that case, Curry might be the better choice because he’s a better complementary piece amongst other superstars due to his shooting ability.
However, as a go-to superstar player relied on heavily to lead his team to a championship, the choice is Magic.
It’s also worth noting that Curry is still 35 and has multiple years to improve his case. It’s a discussion worth having and revisiting when Curry’s Hall of Fame career is all said and done.
Regardless of your preference amongst these legendary point guards, credit has to be given to Stephen Curry for putting himself in the conversation with Magic Johson as the best point guard ever to play the game.