Analysis | We should be appreciating Stephen Curry a whole lot more
In his 12 years in the league, Golden State Warriors’ star Stephen Curry has defied all expectations when he entered the NBA, proving himself as one of the greatest players and scorers of all time. Wikicommons
Wardell Stephen Curry was drafted by the NBA’s Golden State Warriors out of Davidson College in 2009. Despite Curry’s father, Dell Curry, having a long and successful career in the league, the expectations for Steph were low. His professional scouting report noted a short and undersized stature, lack of athletic ability and slew of shooting slumps. Many feared he was too small to be a shooting guard due to his lack of physicality while also lacking the offensive capabilities to be a point guard, theoretically leaving him without a true position in the NBA.
Well, so much for that.
Twelve magnificent seasons later, Curry has proven his critics wrong. He is now a three-time NBA champion, seven-time All-Star, six-time All-NBA selection and two-time winner of the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, including earning the first and only unanimous selection for MVP in 2016. Curry currently ranks second all-time in three-pointers made, and will almost certainly surpass Ray Allen for the top spot.
He has proven himself as one the greatest basketball players of all time. But here’s the most ridiculous thing: At age 33, Curry may be having his best season yet.
Coming into the 2020-2021 NBA season, the expectations for Curry and the Warriors were low. The Warriors superteam that had made it to the Finals the past three seasons — boasting Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Curry — was decimated. Durant left for the Brooklyn Nets. Thompson tragically tore his Achilles tendon this past offseason, after already missing the entire 2019-2020 season with an ACL tear. That season, Curry himself missed all but five games with a hand injury and the Warriors finished a catastrophic 15-50 record. There were whispers Curry, without the normal bevy of talent surrounding him, was finished.
Instead, with no accomplished scorer beside him this season, Curry has become the first, second and third option on the Warriors. Despite teams throwing the kitchen sink at Curry to try and slow him down — even utilizing gimmicky schemes like box-and-1 defenses — Curry is still leading the league in points per game as of April 24, averaging over 31 a contest. For comparison, in his 2015-2016 unanimous MVP season, Curry averaged 30.1.
Despite having one of the worst supporting rosters in the NBA, his individual brilliance — Curry scores nearly 30% of the Warriors’ points — has carried Golden State to a 30-30 record as of April 24. That would qualify them for the NBA’s newly instituted play-in tournament for the playoffs.
While Curry’s statistics may quantify his impact on the game, his execution and energy are what differentiate him from watching any other player in the league. When Curry is feeling it, he casually chucks up a shot from near half court with two defenders swarming him. There’s a unique experience you feel when watching him play, where he catches fire so effortlessly that before the ball even reaches the hoop, Curry and the audience know it will go in. It’s like nothing you’ll ever see on a basketball court.
Curry’s impact this season, despite being on a lackluster team, illustrates his evolution as a playmaker and a shooter and may even earn him his third MVP award. The undersized guard out of Davidson who many feared was not fit for the NBA has positioned himself as one the greatest players of all time.