"Steph Different Man": Richard Jefferson Picks Warriors Star Over Victor Wembanyama For 1 Reason

When looking at the current pool of talent in the NBA, there's no denying that Victor Wembanyama is one of the top stars. After notching Defensive Player of the Year, his second All-Star selection, and finishing third in MVP voting this year, it's difficult not to acknowledge Wembanyama's dominance in the league.

However, in a recent episode of 'The Road Trippin' Show,' NBA legend Richard Jefferson had to choose a Golden State Warriors star over Wembanyama for a specific reason.

"I'd defend Wemby any day over (Stephen Curry)," Jefferson said when asked who's easier to defend. "Steph different man. Steph is one of the greatest of all time. Everybody is different, but if you told me which one is harder to gameplan currently, now, eventually, Wemby could be up there with the greatest to ever do it. Right now, from what you see, you don't want to see Steph."

"If you make a mistake on Steph, his teammates succeed because of their motion offense," Jefferson added. "So if you make a mistake on Steph, three guys run to him, he might not get the shot. But they got two guys open behind him. So that's what's unguardable. With Wemby, you can make a mistake."

To Jefferson's point, Curry is a tough matchup on any given night. If you leave him open, he'll knock down 3-point bombs all night long. If you decide to double or triple up on Steph, his teammates are just as capable of knocking down shots, especially when left wide open.

Aside from the punishing shooting, defenders also have to worry about Curry's slippery tendencies. Steph is known for running around the perimeter nonstop. He continuously runs around until he finds an opening to take a shot. Not all of his defenders have the same stamina and speed to deal with Curry.

Looking at Curry's numbers this season, he's still one of the best scorers in the league, averaging 26.6 points per game. He has a 39.3% accuracy from deep. While it's a significant decline from his previous 40% plus, Steph isn't someone you want to leave open, given his reputation as the greatest shooter of all time.

Victor Wembanyama's Teammate Compares Him to Stephen Curry

Stephen Curry and Victor Wembanyama are two completely different types of players. Curry is a point guard who's famous for his limitless range on the hardwood. Meanwhile, Wembanyama is an intimidating force inside the paint who's waiting to erase shots.

Despite these differences, one of Wembanyama's teammates in the San Antonio Spurs couldn't help but compare him to Curry. De'Aaron Fox said in an interview in April that Wembanyama and Curry are the only two guys he likes playing with.

"It’s like no one else. I mean, between probably him and Steph Curry, like, those are the only guys that you see that have the type of gravity that they have, and it’s amazing to play with," Fox said.

While Curry and Fox have technically never been teammates in the league, they had an opportunity to play together in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game.

Fox could likely compare Wemby to Curry because of his aura on the floor. While Steph is known for his killer offense, Wembanyama has the same amount of talent, but on defense instead.

As mentioned earlier, Wembanyama was named the 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year in only his third NBA season. The towering Frenchman averaged 9.5 defensive rebounds, 3.1 blocks, and 1.0 steals. For the third consecutive season, Wemby led the league in blocks.

While Jefferson believes that Curry is more difficult to defend, it can be argued that it's difficult to get past Wembanyama's defense.

If Curry is considered the best shooter of all time, we wouldn't be surprised if Wemby is called the greatest defender of all time when everything has been said and done in his career.