Mark Jackson & his bizarre comment about Steph Curry as a role model
Former Warriors coach Mark Jackson said a strange thing on Christmas Day.
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2 min read
ABC analyst Mark Jackson thinks Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry is "hurting" the game of basketball. Jackson, who coached the Warriors from 2011 to 2014, suggested during their game against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday that young players are learning the wrong things from Curry's game.
"Steph Curry's great," Jackson said. "Steph Curry is the MVP. He's a champion. Understand what I'm saying when I say this: To a degree, he's hurt the game. And what I mean by that is that I go into these high school gyms, I watch these kids and the first thing they do is they run to the 3-point line. You are not Steph Curry. Work on the other aspects of your game. People think that he's just a knockdown shooter. That's not why he's the MVP. He's a complete basketball player."
Curry and the Warriors didn't exactly appreciate Jackson's comments. From Yahoo Sports' Marc Spears:
Curry chuckled at Jackson's comments but also seemed confused by them.
"I have to talk to him," Curry told Yahoo Sports. "I don't know what he means by that. If you can shoot, shoot. If you can't, stop."
Warriors center Andrew Bogut, who also played under Jackson, didn't appreciate his former coach's remarks.
"Anything he says, you can take that with a grain of salt," Bogut said. "And you can quote me on that."
It was a weird thing to say on Christmas Day, even if the criticism was directed more at young players and coaches than at Curry himself. He has little control over how he influences kids on the court.
Many have noted that unlike other superstars, it is theoretically possible for the average person to become Curry-like. You can always improve your shooting and your ballhandling; you cannot necessarily transform into a dominant physical force. Steve Nash told the National Post's Bruce Arthur that Curry is "the most skilled player we've ever had," and I agree with that. I'd argue that, if you understand what makes Curry great, he is just about the best possible player for kids to look up to. After spending three years coaching him, I imagine Jackson might say the same thing.
Jackson's point is that some kids are going to imitate Curry's highlight plays without also learning the fundamentals that Curry has mastered. They will chuck ridiculous, deep shots because Curry does it and it's fun.
Chucking ridiculous, deep shots has always been fun, though. Curry didn't start that. What he's done is expand the definition of a "good shot" and help the game evolve. If you can consistently make "crazy" shots, then they can't be that crazy. No one else can hit the long, off-the-dribble ones Curry routinely swishes, but that could change. Nash, in fact, said he wished he was growing up now, modeling his game after Curry. When Nash was developing, the stuff Curry is doing was thought to be impossible.
Sure, there are and will continue to be kids who learn the wrong lessons from Curry, just like there were kids who loved to take the most difficult 2-point jump shots they saw Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant make. There will also be kids who build on what Curry is doing, just like Curry built on Nash's game. That is simply the order of things.
(HT: SI's Ben Golliver)
