A longtime former NFL quarterback has made a bold football comparison for 11-time All-NBA Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry.
The 37-year-old, a two-time league MVP and four-time champion, has firmly established himself as the greatest shooter in the history of league. Even in his relative dotage, the 6-foot-3 Davison product remains among the league’s most respected scorers.
After trading for future Hall of Fame swingman Jimmy Butler midseason last year, Golden State vaulted back into the fringe contender conversation. The team staved off a second straight lottery season, finishing with a solid 48-34 record and the Western Conference’s No. 7 seed.
The Warriors survived the No. 2-seeded Houston Rockets in the playoffs’ first round, but fell in five games to the Minnesota Timberwolves thanks to injuries to Curry and Butler.
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Still, next year’s Warriors should be better — if age doesn’t do them in during the playoffs once again.
Golden State is rumored to be eyeing former five-time All-Star 3-and-D big man Al Horford, who remains an unsigned free agent as the Warriors look to figure out the restricted free agent fate of power forward Jonathan Kuminga. Former Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton, meanwhile, and Gary Payton II are expected to return, too, after the Kuminga contract situation is finalized.
Horford, 39, would be right at home alongside Curry and 35-year-olds Butler and Draymond Green in Golden State’s ancient starting lineup.
So what is the best possible football comp for Curry’s greatness?
During a fresh conversation with longtime sports insider Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson for his show “Scoop B Radio,” former 16-year NFL quarterback Rodney Peete drew a fascinating football analogue for Curry.
“Who in the NFL has the Steph Curry flair? Oh that’s easy. Patrick Mahomes. Yeah. Patrick Mahomes. Because he’s likable, right?” Peete observed. “And I think that he came in not with the fanfare like some of the other people that are first round No. 1 picks in the draft.”
The 29-year-old Mahomes, a revolutionarily great passer, is already a six-time Pro Bowler, a three-time All-Pro, a two-time NFL MVP, and a three-time Super Bowl champion and MVP.
“Patrick Mahomes was at the end of the first or early second round; had to sit for a year still very humble — likable. Likable cats that work their way through to get where they are and become the best at what they do. So I would say it’s a very close comparison between Steph Curry and Patrick Mahomes.”
Selected with the No. 141 pick in the 1989 NFL draft out of USC, the former Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner suited up for the Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Oakland Raiders and Carolina Panthers.
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