Stephen A. Smith reveals Isiah Thomas once said "Stephen Curry would not have averaged more than 18 points a game" in his era

Stephen A. lets us in on a private conversation between him and Isiah Thomas about Steph Curry.

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NBA analyst Stephen A Smith recently discussed whether Stephen Curry could play in the old-school NBA. Smith, a leading face of sports media outlet ESPN, has had the luxury of covering the NBA throughout multiple eras and personally witnessed the league changing throughout the years.

Recently, Stephen A. sat down on Full Send podcast and revealed what Detroit Pistons legend Isiah Thomas thought about how Curry would fare in the old-school era.

“I believe that Steph Curry is the greatest shooter God ever created. I don't think that's an argument. But let me share a conversation with you that I had with Isiah Thomas. Isiah Thomas said to me that if he was playing in our era he would not have averaged more than 18 points a game," Stephen A. said .

The rules would have allowed them to rest on his shoulder and to be physical with him in such a way that he wouldn't have been able to get the shot off. The rules would have allowed that when he came through the paint we were going to make him feel us and he wasn't going to be in any condition to run around as much,” he added .

It’s not the first time

Thomas’ comments to Stephen A are not uncommon among legends from previous generations—they usually shine a negative light on how today's game is played and officiated that allows players like Curry to dominate the competition.

Be that as it may, it’s hard to imagine the Golden State Warriors sharpshooter not succeeding in any decade under any circumstances.

Yes, the game was fundamentally different and played from the inside-out, and was undoubtedly more physical. But, although slender, Curry is not cut from the same cloth as usual backcourt players who would be edged out physically.

Once-in-a-lifetime talent

Never has the game seen a talent like the two-time MVP, and while he isn’t athletically imposing, having to pick up a player after he passes the half-court line means he’s special in any era.

During the interview, Smith went on to highlight Curry’s injury history when coming into the league that would have been magnified in previous eras but conceded it’s still hard to bet against the greatest shooter of all time not being dominant at any point in the league history.