When we talk about Stephen Curry, people often think of the Golden State Warriors or talk about him as the best shooter of all time. Other than that, you could mention his scoring and playmaking skills.

In reality, not many people have ever considered Curry to be a great or even good defender. He even admitted once that he doesn't play defense half of the time. Well, that no longer seems to be the case.

According to coach Steve Kerr, Curry's defensive effort is one of the main reasons why the Warriors have the best record in the NBA, and he urged people to finally start giving him some credit for that.

Steve Kerr Says It's Time People Recognize Stephen Curry's Defense

“He’s been great defensively all year, and I hope people are recognizing it,” Kerr told the media, as quoted by NBC Sports. “Everyone obviously locks in on his offensive brilliance, which they should, but he had six steals [Sunday]. Eight deflections. He’s all over the place. For whatever reason, he has a reputation of being a poor defender. I don’t see that at all. I think he’s a really good defender and he’s been great defensively.”

 

Draymond Green Also Lauds Curry's Defensive Effort

A couple of days ago, star forward Draymond Green fully agrees with his coach's assesment. Recently, Green said that Curry's defensive prowess has turned him into one of the best defenders on the team.

"No-one talks about Steph's defense," Green said in his press conference. "The one thing that has been constant forever is his effort. He's never not giving effort on that side of the ball. I think he used to reach a lot... You just see him continue to take steps. Now? He's one of the best defenders we have on our team now. It's beautiful to watch. When he's giving the type of effort that he gives on that side of the floor, everyone else has to follow."

Curry's advanced numbers are much better than what one would think. He's got a defensive rating of 99 and a defensive box plus-minus of 1.5 this season, all while averaging 1.8 steals per game. He may not be Gary Payton but we can start shutting down that 'bad defender' narrative now.