No part of this is true or even really makes sense.
Are you saying that Curry wouldn't have been a star due to how they played in the 90s? Or are you saying that Curry wouldn't have been a star because 90's players are much better?
If it's the latter, I 100% disagree with this.
The 90's definitely did not focus on 3-point shooting like there is today, but Curry has so much more going for him aside from his 3-point shot.
I very much do not like the Warriors, and I'm quick to call out that the whistle is in his favor during the regular season (especially with moving screens) - but even I can recognize his skill. Additionally, refs enforce rules much more during the playoffs, and he's still won rings.
Curry's off ball movement is phenomenal. Numerous players have talked about how hard it is to guard Curry because he has so much stamina. Additionally, he's in his 30s now and has had some of his best seasons for his career.
If you're saying that the play style of the 90s would have held him back - I agree with that. I like the NBAs current style of fluid, "positionless" play over the 90s more rigid adherence to roles. The current NBA of today lets so many more players shine, especially dynamic bigs.
Kareem has talked about this as well when watching Giannis play. I can't find the quote, so this is a paraphrase - but he was remarking how back in his day if you were tall you had to play center, and you were never allowed to practice other skills.
Today's game, you have people like Jokic - a dynamic big who can facilitate, defend, AND shoot 3s. I love to see it.
Jimmy Highroller [0], has a very good video on this where he shows that 2-point shots have become much more valuable now due to 3-pointers.
To be part of a starting 5 you typically have to have the capability to shoot 3s - putting defenders in a difficult spot. You could guard the floor to prevent a 2, but that opens you up for a 3. Most people defend for a 3, so many people now are going in for a 2.
I do think in the current NBA we took too much away from defenders. Most of that could be fixed with refs enforcing rules against foul baiting, allowing defenders to be more physical, etc. Refs actually do this during the playoffs, I think they should do it for the entire season. There are some good rules changes I've seen as well, like 6 in the key instead of 3. There's a good video from Rusty Buckets that goes over this [1].
I don't want to get rid of the X second in the key rule, because then teams would just have bigs sit in the paint. I think that would make everyone focus on 3-pointers even more.
[0]: https://www.youtube.com/@JxmyHighroller/videos [1]: https://youtu.be/2E0kHY0vMQY?si=3EA3UqSGKdThF3bK
