NBA

Ex-Cavalier Dahntay Jones: Stephen Curry not a top 10 player

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry reacts towards the referee during the first quarter against the Phoenix Suns.

Stephen Curry is a two-time MVP. He's arguably the greatest shooter in league history, has led the Golden State Warriors to two championships in three years, and is the type of transcendent talent who garners league-wide attention whenever he steps on the floor.

According to unrestricted free agent Dahntay Jones, who spent the past two postseasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers after signing contracts at the end of each regular season, that's not enough to make him a top-10 player in today's NBA.

"People get mad at me because I don't declare him a top 10 player in the NBA, which is fine," Jones, a 36-year-old journeyman guard, said on a recent Barstool Sports podcast. "I've got him on the outside, like 11, 12."

Jones said Curry is "very good, don't get it twisted," but noted that "defense weighs highly" on his list of top players, which includes: LeBron James at No. 1, Kawhi Leonard at No. 2, Kevin Durant at No. 3, as well as (not in order) John Wall, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Jimmy Butler, Chris Paul, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Anthony Davis. 

"He bloomed late, like Tom Brady," Jones said of Curry. "So you've got the kids in eighth grade that are dominating, and they're No. 1, and you never see them again. Then you've got the kids who are going through their growth spurts in 12th grade. It takes them three years, then when they catch up, everybody else has settled ... to repeat greatness on a yearly basis is the, probably, hardest thing.

"Consistency is the hardest thing in any level of expertise, period. To be consistent on a yearly basis, that's what makes people great. And everybody can't do it, they can't practice it. (Curry) having the patience, the confidence and the courage to keep fighting all those battles, that's what makes him good right now." 

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