Legendary Detroit Pistons point guard Isiah Thomas has some reservations about being compared to Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, but he has nothing but respect for the sharpshooter.
During an appearance on Chris Broussard's FOX show entitled The Association, Thomas said that unlike today where the rules favor small players and guards, the rules during his time “were not set up for me, as a small person, to dominate.” This is the reason why he thinks it's unfair to compare him to Curry, who benefits from modern NBA rules.
However, Thomas said he's “honored” to be compared to Curry. He also believes he has some similarities to the Warriors playmaker, particularly on how they approached the game and fought with their own strengths against bigger and more athletic players.
For what it's worth, Thomas had great battles with Michael Jordan, while Steph faced and won against LeBron James multiple times.
“What Steph and I had in common is we were beating the freak athletes, we were beating the giants, and I got a big respect for him for that,” Thomas said of the Warriors superstar.
True enough, guard play now defines the modern NBA. There is a premium placed on point guards who can score and shoot from the perimeter, which was not the case in Thomas' heyday in the 1980s.
In fact, Isiah Thomas himself was somewhat revolutionary as a smaller guard who was the marquee player on a pair of championship Pistons teams. That also draws comparisons to Stephen Curry, whose shooting ability has helped shape the game into what it is today.
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