Mark Jackson on Stephen Curry: 'He’s an elite defender right now.'

Less than a week ago, Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul scoffed at the notion that Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry was an NBA All-Defensive Team caliber player, as reported by Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.

Last night, Warriors coach Mark Jackson went the opposite direction, as described by the Bay Area Sports Guy.

"Steph, people think I’m crazy but he’s an elite defender right now. Kyrie Irving is a primetime player that is awfully tough to contain. But one thing about Steph Curry, he’s battling, he’s competing, he’s fighting. He’s making multiple effort plays. He’s contesting shots. And then he’s carrying us offensively at times. It’s great to see him out there healthy and doing the job at both ends."

Has Curry been a better defender than usual (through five games) this season? Sure. His positioning has been good and he's made some big plays at critical times in the last few games similar to what Tim Kawakami described on Twitter.

Curry isn't and almost surely never will be a great defender, but he can maximize his talents with anticipation and by playing angles.

— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) November 8, 2012

But is that elite? Let's put it this way: for the Warriors, it might be.

For more on the Warriors' win over the Cleveland Cavaliers last night, visit our storystream.