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Magic Johnson vs. Stephen Curry: Does Warriors star have stats case to surpass Lakers legend as GOAT point guard?

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After the Warriors defeated the Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals to capture their fourth championship in the past eight seasons, Golden State forward Andre Iguodala made a bold proclamation about Finals MVP Stephen Curry.

“I think he solidified himself today — not even today, just his career — as the best point guard of all time,” Iguodala said.

Unleash the legions of angry Lakers fans!

When it comes to point guard debates, Magic Johnson typically lands at the top of the list. Ever since he retired from the NBA in 1996, he has held the No. 1 spot, and it has been difficult to envision someone actually challenging his status.

But with another title on Curry’s resume — and the possibility of more trophies being added to his shelves before his career is over — it’s worth taking a closer look at how the two all-time greats stack up against each other.

(All stats current as of Sept. 16, 2022)

Magic-Johnson-FTR

Magic Johnson vs. Stephen Curry: Regular season stats

Curry is a more dangerous scoring threat than Johnson. His ability to shoot, finish at the rim and move without the ball can break even the best defenses. (Sorry to bring up bad memories, Celtics fans.)

Johnson has the advantage in terms of assists and rebounds. His size (6-9, 215 pounds) and skill set allowed him to climb up to third on the all-time triple-double list (138). He sits behind Russell Westbrook (194) and Oscar Robertson (181), the only players who have averaged a triple-double for a season.

Magic Per Game  Curry
19.5 Points 24.3
7.2 Rebounds 4.6
11.2 Assists 6.5
1.9 Steals 1.7
0.4 Blocks 0.2
3.9 Turnovers 3.1
36.7 Minutes 34.3
52.0 Field goal % 47.3
30.3 3-point % 42.8
84.8 Free throw % 90.8

 

Magic Totals  Curry
906 Games 826
17,707 Points 20,064
6,559 Rebounds 3,838
10,141 Assists 5,388
1,724 Steals 1,367
374 Blocks 187
3,506 Turnovers 2,598
33,245 Minutes 28,361

Magic Johnson vs. Stephen Curry: Regular season advanced stats

Through 13 seasons, there is a sizable gap between Johnson and Curry in the advanced categories. However, Curry seems to have a few prime years left, so that gap could shrink as he ages into his mid-30s. 

Magic Advanced  Curry
24.1 Player Efficiency Rating 23.8
80.0 Value Over Replacement 60.9
7.5 Box Plus/Minus 6.5
155.8 Win Shares 120.2
61.0 True Shooting % 62.4
22.3 Usage % 28.7
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Magic Johnson vs. Stephen Curry: Playoff stats

Unsurprisingly, Curry and Johnson are two of the best postseason performers of all time at their position.

Curry increases his scoring output during the NBA Playoffs and he still clears 40 percent from beyond the arc. Johnson bumped up his assist and rebounding numbers under the bright lights of the postseason.

Magic Playoffs Per Game  Curry
19.5 Points 26.6
7.7 Rebounds 5.4
12.3 Assists 6.2
1.9 Steals 1.6
0.3 Blocks 0.3
3.7 Turnovers 3.3
39.7 Minutes 37.3
50.6 Field goal % 45.2
24.1 3-point % 40.1
83.8 Free throw % 89.2

 

Magic Playoff Totals  Curry
190 Games 134
3,701 Points 3,570
1,465 Rebounds 719
2,346 Assists 833
358 Steals 210
64 Blocks 38
696 Turnovers 447
7,538 Minutes 4,999

Magic Johnson vs. Stephen Curry: Playoff advanced stats

The advanced stats in the NBA Playoffs are a bit tighter than the regular season figures. Curry has already moved past Johnson in PER, and he’s not far behind in Box Plus/Minus.

Magic Advanced  Curry
23.0 Player Efficiency Rating 23.2
18.3 Value Over Replacement 11.4
7.6 Box Plus/Minus 7.1
32.6 Win Shares 20.3
59.5 True Shooting % 60.8
21.2 Usage % 29.7
Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson vs. Stephen Curry: Accolades and awards

Johnson leads in nearly every category here, but it wouldn’t be a shock to see Curry match or even pass Johnson’s totals before the Warriors send his jersey into the rafters at Chase Center.

Curry should easily hit double-digits in All-NBA and All-Star selections, and as long as Golden State continues to put the right pieces around him, he should be in a position to compete for more championships.

Magic Accolades  Curry
5 Championships 4
3 MVPs 2
3 Finals MVPs 1
10 All-NBA 8
12 All-Star 8
0 Scoring titles 2
4 Assist titles 0
2 Steal titles 1

Fans in the U.S. can watch the biggest games of the 2022-23 NBA season on Sling TV. Stream Sling Orange for $35/month to catch all regular season games on TNT, ESPN & ABC. For games on NBATV, subscribe to Sling Orange & Sports Extra for $46/month. Local regional blackout restrictions apply.

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