Stephen Curry wasn’t always the superstar he is nowadays. In fact, some people doubted he could even make it to the NBA, let alone become the greatest shooter in the history of this beautiful sport.
Believe it or not, Curry didn’t attend a big-name college program. He wasn’t even a top-3 pick in the Draft. Instead, he fell all the way to seven, where the Golden State Warriors took him but with some doubts nonetheless.
Fast-forward to today and looking back on all his accomplishments and people can’t wonder what were those teams thinking when they passed on him. That applies especially tothe Minnesota Timberwolves, who snubbed him with back-to-back picks.
Former Timberwolves GM Refuses To Explain Why He Passed On Stephen Curry Twice In The Same Draft
(Transcript via Yaron Weitzman of Fox Sports)
On a related note: I reached out Tuesday to former Minnesota Timberwolves general manager David Kahn, who passed on Curry twice and used that draft’s fifth and sixth picks on point guards Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn. I wanted to know how Kahn has processed this week.
“I would be happy to talk to you just as soon as you talk to the Clippers (Blake Griffin), Memphis (Hasheem Thabeet), Sacramento (Tyreke Evans) and especially Washington, which traded the No. 5 pick to me straight up for Randy Foye and Mike Miller and could have drafted Curry fifth,” Khan texted back.
That’s a fair answer. Moreover, it’s not like the Timberwolves were the only team to doubt Curry, as even the Warriors tried to trade him more than once. Also, scouts weren’t exactly fond of his talents when he declared for the Draft.
Scouts Weren’t High On Steph
“Far below NBA standard in regard to explosiveness and athleticism … At 6-2, he’s extremely small for the NBA shooting guard position, and it will likely keep him from being much of a defender at the next level … Although he’s playing point guard this year, he’s not a natural point guard that an NBA team can rely on to run a team … Struggles defensively getting around screens … Can overshoot and rush into shots from time to time (vs. WV) … Hasn’t had to deal with getting benched due to poor performance (shooting) which has allowed him to shoot through any slumps. Will have to adjust to not being a volume shooter which could have an effect on his effectiveness … Doesn’t like when defenses are too physical with him … Not a great finisher around the basket due to his size and physical attributes … Makes some silly mistakes at the PG position. Needs to add some muscles to his upper body, but appears as though he’ll always be skinny…” one scout from NBADraft.netwrote.
“More of a 2-guard than a point Must develop as a point guard A decent passer and ball handler, but still must improve considerably in both areas and learn to play the PG position in order to make it in the league … At 6-1, hes far too small to play solely at the 2G position … Had a solid 1-1 A/TO ratio (for a freshman who plays mostly off the ball), but can improve upon that Lacks great athletic ability, although he shows good quickness … Body is on the small side, short arms and lack of great natural body strength … Lacks great visibility and competition level at mid-major Davidson…” another scout added.
Drafting isn’t an exact science and many intangibles can affect how a player’s career turns out, so we’ll give these guys a pass here. But looking back, you can’t help to laugh at what some people used to think about one of the greatest players of all time.
