Impact
Magic Johnson had a great impact on how we view the NBA. Magic and Bird helped saved the NBA during a time when ratings were down. Bird and Magic brought the viewership to the NBA.
The showtime Lakers were more than just a basketball team, they were entertainment. It was the glitz and glam of the league when there were no other flashy teams.
The no-look passes and fancy lobs to his teammates made Magic Johnson and the Lakers the biggest spectacle in the NBA. The battles between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics -really between Magic and Bird – were the biggest events in the NBA.
The rivalry brought a new spark around the sport that everyone wanted to see.
But, how much did Magic Johnson actually impact the game outside of his own team? We know he brought more eyeballs to the NBA, but did he change the way it’s played?
Magic was such a unique player. A 6-foot-9 point guard was unheard of at the time. Since Magic has retired, how any players remind you of him, Lebron James or Ben Simmons – physical freaks in their own right.
Magic didn’t have the kind of impact to rub off on others coming up in the system because it’s nearly impossible to grow to 6-foot-9 and be an elite passer. Most players at that height are playing power-forward banging don low, or working on being a stretch 4.
Being that tall and initiating offense or letting the offense run through you is one thing, but Magic was the constant ball-handler up and down the court. His feel for the game to see things before they happen, while being able to see over almost every defender was a deadly combination
There are not more players like Magic because he is hard to duplicate. Magic Johnson was a unicorn is his own era and would still be a unicorn today. As good as LeBron and Simmons are at moving the ball, they’re not as skilled at pure passing as Magic was. His impact on the game outside of his team was limiting because Magic was and is, such a one of a kind player.
Stephen Curry in contrast has had the greatest fundamental impact on the game of basketball of any player in NBA history. Curry has changed the way we view and play the game from the youth level to the pro’s.
Floor spacing is the greatest emphasis on today’s game because of Curry. Throwback back-to-the-basket centers, like Al Jefferson, are going extinct. Bigs are making and taking more threes than ever before. KAT just led his team back-to-back years in 3-point percentage as a center.
Teams are trading 2’s for 3’s, look at the Rockets. Shooting is the number one skill players need to have or they won’t last long in today’s league. This skill is cultivating more and more in today’s youth. It’s the easiest skill to teach yourself, and you only need a minimal level of athleticism or raw talent
Younger players want to be the next Stephen Curry and teams want to draft one.
Trae Young is the perfect example o f the Stephen Curry affect. A small, diminutive guard with a lack of explosion, but likes to shoot it from deep, can pass the ball, and can handle it to create space.
We are going to see more players like Trae Young who think they are the next Stephen Curry, then we’ll ever see in players trying to become the next Magic Johnson. The Stephen Curry model is so much more achievable for the person with aspirations to play in the NBA, than the Magic Johnson model.
Curry looks more like your everyday person with a slender frame, standing at only 6-foot-3 with a lack of athleticism. There are a lot more people who are closer to 6-foot than 6-foot-9, who believe they are a shot and crossover away from making the league.
Stephen Curry is showing the biggest, strongest, and fastest are not always the best. The best perfect what skills they have been given.
Through repetition, anyone can feel like Curry, and feel like they can make it to the highest level.