When Monta Ellis opened up on Steph Curry's path to greatness: "We’re talking about him breaking Ray Allen’s record"

Stephen Curry broke Ray Allen’s long-standing record for most 3-pointers made in NBA history in 2001. It was another mark that added to his resume as the greatest shooter of all time.

Curry did not find success right away in his NBA career. He struggled with injuries and had to work to become the franchise player for the Golden State Warriors.

However, former Warriors star Monta Ellis said he could see Curry’s greatness potential from the beginning. The two were teammates in Curry’s first years in the league.

“You could see it,” Ellis said. “He put in the time, he put in the work. He did all the necessary things to put himself in this position. From Day 1, he came in, coming into a lot of criticism. I think he embraced that, continued to work hard and got better over the years and put himself in a position where we’re talking about him breaking Ray Allen’s record.”

Was Ellis mean to Curry in his early years?

The two guards shared the backcourt in Golden State for two-plus seasons. Warriors management then decided to build around Curry and move toward the future. Ellis was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for Andrew Bogut in 2012. The Warriors were 99-123 with Eliis and Curry.

The two did not have the best start. Ellis believed Curry was drafted to replace him. He often told the media that the two could not play together and he could not lead the team to winning seasons playing alongside Curry and his perimeter-shooting style.

“I was right at the end of the day,” Ellis said. “I probably could have approached that a little bit better. At the time, the Western Conference had big, big guards, and they were pretty good. We had two small, 180 pounds two guards at the one and two position. In the West, it was hard. It worked out. I always said it went the way it should be.”

The Warriors and their backcourt changed the game. Many said that a jump-shooting team with smaller players could never win a title. The Warriors proved everyone wrong and led a revolution in the NBA, claiming four championships, and nearly a fifth, in the process.

Curry and teammate Klay Thompson killed teams with their sharpshooting from 3-point range. They took more 3s than anyone and made more than anyone, compensating for their lack of size.