He is arguably one of the most popular players in the NBA right now and despite a resume that already reads MVP, NBA Champion and NBA All-Star, it appears that Steph Curry has only tapped the surface of his capabilities.
While Curry may have a shoe deal with Under Armour, one of the highest selling jerseys in the NBA and numerous other endorsement deals on the go, he hasn’t always been one of the most sought after players going around. Coming out of High School, Curry was on top of the world and with his dad being former NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, surely it was only a matter of time before the College Scholarships came rolling in. Unfortunately for Steph, they never did. For a player of Curry’s size, nobody wanted to take the risk on a small bodied kid, who they felt wouldn’t be able to compete with the big bodies of College. But while all the major Colleges around the nation saw a small guard, who they felt didn’t have what it takes to compete at the professional level, there was one man who saw what he describes as “brilliance”.
Davidson Head Coach, Bob McKillop was the man that saw the shining light in Stephen Curry. While Davidson wasn’t a big name school such as North Carolina or Duke, they were willing to take a shot on the kid that everyone else passed up. By his Sophomore year at Davidson, Curry had grown to 6’3 and was beginning to show what he was capable of. During the 2008 NCAA tournament, Curry would average 32 points per game on the way to carrying Davidson to the Elite Eight and then back it up the following year, leading the nation in scoring with 29 points per game before deciding to nominate for the 2009 NBA Draft. It was at this time, that Curry would again face the same criticism.
Hindsight is an amazing thing, and if they could turn the clock back I’m sure that a number of NBA scouts and draft “experts” would like to have their time over. Despite coming off of back to back years in the NCAA of scoring close to 30 points per game, people were still doubting what Steph would actually be able to achieve on the next level.
“Far below NBA standard in regard to explosiveness and athleticism… He’s not a natural point guard that an NBA team can rely on to run a team… Struggles defensively getting around screens. Can overshoot and rush into shots from time to time and hasn’t had to deal with getting benched due to poor performance, which has allowed him to shoot through any slumps. Will have to adjust to not being a volume shooter which could have an effect on his effectiveness… Not a great finisher around the basket due to his size and physical attributes…”
– Stevan Petrovic (NBADraft.net)
But much like his High School days, Curry would use this as fuel to feed his desire to become great. Drafted at Pick 7 in 2009 by the Golden State Warriors, Curry established himself early as a sharpshooter in the NBA and was runner up in the Rookie of the Year Award, but due to chronic ankle injuries, Steph missed 48 games over the next two seasons and underwent a number of surgeries. Curry was yet again facing adversity but after an extensive rehab program, Steph would return in 2012, and embark on a legacy that none of us saw coming.
After two unsuccessful post-season campaigns, it was 2014 that saw Steph skyrocket to superstardom. Bringing a new angle to the game, Curry had changed the landscape of what was seen to be “cool” in the NBA. Pulling up on fastbreaks, toasting the defence to sink it from behind the arc or just simply pulling up from “the car park” became common place during a Golden State Warriors game in the 2013/14 season on their way to securing the NBA title.
But what is it that makes Curry so dangerous? For me, it is a perfect storm of amazing form, a great supporting cast and a coach who gives him the green light. With the quickest release in the league, you can’t give the reigning MVP an inch. Even if you are right up on him, the Warriors have some of the best screen plays in the business and I wish anyone the best of luck, running through a staggered screen of Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green. Despite what anyone else says, stopping short of physically restraining him, the only person who can stop Stephen Curry is himself. But even if you do manage to stem the flow from deep, Curry has the ability of working off of his player through a sequence of slick ball handling manoeuvres, combined with running his defender into traffic, to create that slight bit of separation that he needs to get that quick shot off, or draw the defender for a jaw dropping assist.
Coming into this season, even as a Warriors fan and Steph Curry fan boy (Yeah, I can admit that…) there was no way to predict that he would come out at the start of this season in the manner that he has. Dropping 40 points in his first game against the Pelicans, another 53 points against the Pelicans two games later as well as having three 20+ point quarters, in a handful of games is almost unheard of. The most dangerous aspect of Curry moving forward this season, is that he is now fully aware of what he can do and isn’t afraid to push the limits of his range or shooting under pressure, while also forcing the defender to be on their toes to prevent the drive to the bucket. Shooting a higher volume from deep while managing to maintain his accuracy is what will see him yet again, break his regular season record of total three pointers made in a season (286).
Whether you are a Warriors fan or not, once Curry gets into a groove it is one of the best sights in the NBA. He whips social media into a frenzy with opposition players even left gobsmacked as he enters “Video Game Mode”. Thanks to Stephen Curry, range and sinking the three pointer on a defender is one of the new classifications of a “poster”.
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Banner Image Credit: JazzLuv Photography, Flickr
Story Image 1 Credit: Fit4him, Flickr
Story image 2 Credit: Jayson Gold, Flickr
