Players shouldn’t hit their prime in their 14th season, especially after they’ve won two MVP awards at the beginning of his career. But Stephen Curry he is not normal. And after breaking every other historical precedent, why not beat time as well?
Curry is having a year equal to the unanimous MVP of the 2015-2016 season. But he has a great chance to win it a third time, which might not happen because of the Warriors’ mediocrity.
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How does this Stephen Curry season compare to the MVPs
It may sound absurd to suggest that Stephen Curry is better now than he was when he was named the first and only unanimous MVP in league history. But the evidence shows that:
| 2015-2016 | 2022-2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 27 | 3. 4 |
| % field goals / % three pointers / % free throws | 50/45/91 | 50/43/91 |
| % True Shot (TS%) | 67% | 66% |
| Points | 30.1 | 30.0 |
| rebound | 5.4 | 6.6 |
| assist | 6.7 | 7.0 |
| Warriors Win % | 89% | fifty% |
The stats don’t do justice to how amazing Curry has been every night this season, nor do they reflect how much stronger and smarter he’s become as a defender. Despite only playing 23 games so far, there are already too many highlights to choose from to show your level.
How about making Tyler Herro look like he’s dancing to the latest trend on TikTok?
Steph Curry makes Tyler Herro totally DIRTY oh my god what dirt lmaooo pic.twitter.com/XOPmnGjCbT
— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) October 28, 2022
Or maybe Anthony Davis on opening night?
oh me
Oh my God pic.twitter.com/6Lqkd4I7Ew— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) October 19, 2022
and what about it fade key against Houston and put the fans to sleep?
NIGHT NIGHT! OMG STEPH 😱 pic.twitter.com/oTqbMZVb9c
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) November 21, 2022
That Curry had to reach this level to beat the Rockets, second from bottom in the West, is telling. They are nowhere near the same team that won the championship just six months ago.
How the Warriors let Curry down
Everyone knows it issues plaguing the Warriors this season. The results of solid veterans like Otto Porter Jr., Nemanja Bjelica and Gary Payton II they are done with their depth in the second section. Their young players don’t seem ready to contribute and their free agent picks (JaMychal Green and Donte DiVincenzo) haven’t been good enough.
The championship window is still open for Golden State, but that’s about it. Draymond Green and Klay Thompson are steadily decreasing. Restrictions imposed by the luxury tax may impose Cart leave sooner rather than later if you don’t accept the play option. And what’s worse is that the Warriors won’t have a better chance to add another ring any time soon than this season.
The Californians owe their 2024 first-round pick to the Grizzlies, but have control over the rest of their future first-round picks. They have young people of some value such as Jonathan Kuminga, Moses Moody and James Wiseman. On the other hand, they have the opportunity to choose some well-available high-level RPGs that suit their system, such as Jakob Poeltl, Jae Crowder, Bojan Bogdanovic or Immanuel Quickley. They don’t need another star, but they do need veterans capable of matching the way others did last year.
The Warriors also need to add depth to the team because Curry won’t be able to maintain this pace for long. His individual brilliance has made this team respectable, but he will burn out in the playoffs if the team remains so dependent on him. His minute load is the highest since 2014 and he runs more pick-and-rolls than seen in previous iterations of this set. This wear and tear has already caused him to start missing games due to ankle and elbow pain.
“Three games in four nights affected him”Kerr told Madeline Kenney of the Mercury News.. “He’s 34 now, not 24, so he’s taking a bit more time to recover from the injury., bruises and stuff like that. So we should be proactive all year round in cases like this.”
When Curry has missed a game, the Warriors have noticed. He is winless in those three games and has 55 points.
These numbers are also reflected in your stats. on/off court. According to Cleaning the Glass, Steph has one of the biggest on-court differences in the entire league, ranking in the 100th percentile. When he plays, Golden State’s offensive ratio is 122.2, better than the Celtics. But when he sits or is not present in the game, that number drops to 99.6. That is, more than 7 points away from the Hornets, the worst offensive team in the NBA.
infographic
These numbers reflect the cold, hard truth. Once Curry stops performing at his highest level, the Warriors’ sun goes out. Counting on Wiseman, Kuminga and Moody to continue the dynasty after the point guard is gone is clear illusion.
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
