Stephen Curry vs Oscar Robertson: Do They Surpass Magic Johnson in Greatest PG of All Time?

In August, Stephen Curry triggered a lot of NBA fans, players, and experts. He claimed that he is the best PG ever. He trimmed the debate between him and Magic Johnson. Reactions started following immediately. As per ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith, Michael Jordan texted him that Johnson is the best PG ever. Now, Johnson has himself hit back that he is the best ever and he listed some accolades that Curry can never reach. 

But, amidst, began a whole new debate about whether Curry is even a true PG. Well, he certainly has the experience of running the position and has had his fair share of 20+ points and 10+ assists games. When Draymond Green developed a talent as a ball-handler, Curry’s assists numbers were cut, but his threat remained the same. Sometimes, statistics can overlook the factors that shape a roster and how players execute their roles. But one thing is for sure when it comes to executing a role, Oscar Robertson had all the bases covered. Is he also a part of the GOAT conversation?

The Big O’s big-time resume

The trouble in assigning a GOAT PG is multi-fold. Many Curry fans and modern NBA viewers have never seen Magic Johnson play. Oscar Robertson is a far cry in this sense. However, we have more YouTube or online footage about Johnson than Robertson. We can see the phenomenal PG with a Forward’s body, working out the trickiest passing angles. Robertson also had the ability to pass from impossible angles. 

As a 6’5” Point Guard, The Big O was a tough cover for all positions. He could both shoot from the high post and then wreak havoc in the low post. Now, when you add his athletic chops and his electric speed, he becomes an all-purpose player. He started averaging over 30 points during his first two seasons in the league. Since his rookie season, he was the biggest triple-double threat. While he had just one official triple-double season, he was within a whisker’s reach during his first five seasons in the league. 

Unlike the Warriors’ legendary shooter who has four, he just had one championship, which was with the Bucks during his first year. This was during Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s sophomore year. By then, the stellar PG didn’t need to be a triple-double dynamo as responsibilities eased. A Floor General like him was a perfect fit to feed the ball to the six-time MVP. Playing in an era dominated by big men like Wilt Chamberlian, Bill Russell, and Nate Thurmond, to name a few, he needed a stellar Center like Kareem to win these crucial match-ups. 

This is why people seek Abdul-Jabbar who has played with both Johnson and Robertson when trying to understand who was better among the two. But the incredible legend has had a hard time picking between those two. He has changed his mind multiple times. He won five championships with Johnson while just one with Robertson. However, in terms of pure skill set, perhaps the former Bucks phenom rates one of the greatest players in Bucks’ history ahead.

Stephen Curry or Oscar Robertson?

When we compare Curry and Robertson, there are a lot of challenges. First and foremost, it is the definition of PG. To justify Curry as the GOAT PG, some fans have claimed that he is the “best ever to play the PG position” rather than the “best Point Guard ever”. Perhaps, this is the pitfall of the position-based comparison. This comparison can fail because there are some perspectives that suggest LeBron James plays like a PG and can stake his claim in the GOAT PG debate.

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Therefore, the way we look at positions in terms of size and skillset can also end up being reductive. Secondly, in Robertson’s time, there was no three-point line. The mid-range game was dominating the scene because the paint was clogged. The game was played differently altogether. The methods of creating separation were limited for Guards. Travels and palming were called at the drop of a hat. It was a strict league where loose dribbling was penalized. Therefore, the Bucks Great PG had to develop a strong dribbling game that operated within a limited box. For a modern PG, the freedom to create has emerged from the loosening up of palming and overlooked traveling violations. 

But this is not a knock on Curry’s greatness at all. Now that the game has reached the three-point, 30-odd feet away, one aspect has seen a huge change. While the perimeter defense will have athletic and pesky bodies, the current bigs like Jaren Jackson and Anthony Davis tend to be more wiry. They have to guard the perimeter which is juiced up by multiple high-quality shooters. A player like Davis does a very good of contesting those long-range shots and has been vital for the Lakers’ playoff success.

Therefore, Curry also had to deal with pincering defense at the perimeter from the wiry bigs. But he became the best long-range shooter ever and also developed a strong driving game, hitting shots despite heavy contact. Thus, in both cases, greatness is exercised amidst challenging circumstances. The way the game is called changed but in the end, you have to make your shots and to win, you need a lot more. You have to defend at a high level to win a championship.

Therefore, in the end, Curry and Robertson needed teams that could cover these bases. That’s why every GOAT debate has to realize these challenges. The talent around the Guard plays a big role. The way the game is played changes at a consistent rate. The player for a particular era has to build that particular skill set. Since aesthetics are subjective and collective memory short, it is difficult to settle these debates.

Who takes the GOAT PG tag?

Who is the GOAT PG? I don’t know. I don’t know because the intricacies of giving someone such a title disrespect the preceding and succeeding eras. Each is great in its own right. Making it to the NBA is a big deal in any era. It is a punishing league and the fanbases are unforgiving. Robertson grew up during times when privileges for athletes like him were fewer. No nutritionist. No diet coach. The contracts were at times less than minimum wage. The recognition of talent was celebrated, but not always financially viable considering the grind. 

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Things have changed. And the GOAT debates need to recognize all these nuances. When we compare eras, we have to be armed with the rulebook. How the game was played? What was allowed? What was disallowed? If you take away the three-point line and you take away the three-second violation in the paint, the game will change a lot. Analytics will then revolve around different areas as efficient scoring spots.

Who is the GOAT PG? There is no way to determine. It is a debate that may not be settled even if someone produces a volume of work defending a claim. Time can’t be recreated.