It comes as no surprise that in the age of podcasts and daily talk shows, former NBA players sometimes make audacious and bold claims that leave every fan baffled. One of the more surprising examples recently came from Monta Ellis , whose only accolade in his 12-year NBA resume is a Most Improved Player award.
Ellis certainly had a noteworthy peak during his last two full seasons with the Golden State Warriors , when he led the league in minutes and averaged over 24.0 points per game in both campaigns.
Surely he had potential. However, Monta recently took that confidence away further than advised by boldly declaring that the Warriors dynasty would still be as successful if he replaced Stephen Curry .
"If you switched me and Steph out with the team that won championships, it'd be the same thing," Ellis said .
That claim surely did not sit well with former NBA champion-turned-podcaster Jeff Teague .
Speaking on his show, Teague acknowledged that Ellis was an outstanding player during his prime but essentially told him to calm down before comparing himself to unquestionably one of the all-time greats. And it is difficult to argue against Jeff's overall point.
During his time with the Warriors, Ellis made the playoffs just once, with the "We Believe" squad, which was knocked out in the second round by the Utah Jazz . Moreover, he never reached the Conference Finals during his entire career.
Teague claims that only one player could have replaced Curry in the Warriors' system.
"Monta was cold… He don't even fit them teams. I'm going to keep it real with you, he was never better than Steph Curry," Teague said on his "Club 520 Podcast." "If you said we going to take off Steph Curry and put in Dame Lillard. Then I would be like, 'Okay. I could see they get the same results, probably.'"
In 2015, Curry won the MVP award and led the Warriors to their first championship in 40 years. One year later, Steph became the first-ever unanimous MVP after leading the Warriors to a historic 73-9 record and leading the league in scoring with 30.1 points per game.
Then, when Kevin Durant joined the team, Curry never played second fiddle even though he never won the Finals MVP honor during that span. In their three seasons together, Steph averaged 26.3 points per game. While his individual numbers dropped, the sole purpose was to make room for a ball-dominant KD on the team.
Teague's claim that Damian Lillard could have thrived in Steph's place because of his three-point exploits isn't a safe call. A deeper look suggests that Dame wasn't ready to be the face of a championship contender back then. There is no denying that Lillard is one of the best three-point shooters ever, but during those five years, he averaged 25.1 points and never ranked among the top 3 MVP frontrunners.
Additionally, Dame's later stint alongside a ball-dominant player in Giannis Antetokounmpo in Milwaukee also demonstrated how complicated it can be to maximize elite offensive talent with a different system. Although Lillard remained a lethal scorer, averaging over 24.0 points per game each year and earning an All-Star nod, the partnership never produced the sustained success many expected.
That is why Curry's role in Golden State cannot simply be reduced to being another talented piece. Put simply, he was the foundation. The Warriors did not build their dynasty and then happen to have Steph on the roster. In fact, they built their entire offensive identity around his shooting, movement, and ability to stretch defenses way beyond the three-point line.
And those were the shoes that neither Lillard nor Ellis could have fit into.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Aug 12, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
