Golden State Warriors: Why Seth Curry was a Bad Signing

Mar 24, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Seth Curry (30) shoots a jump shot during the first half against the Creighton Bluejays during the third round of the NCAA basketball tournament at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

In the 2013 NBA Draft, Seth Curry was expected to be a mid to late second round pick. However, he was disappointed to find out that his name was not called thus going undrafted. Without an NBA contract, the former Duke alumnus was pondering the idea of going overseas to play in the Euroleague. He received interest from the Barcelona Basketball Club, former team to Minnesota Timberwolves’ Ricky Rubio, and an Italian basketball club. After much consideration, Curry shot down the offers to play in Europe when the Golden State Warriors offered him a non-guaranteed contract which allows him to attend training camp and try out for the team.

What Curry brings to Golden State is precise shooting. Coming from a family of shooters, Curry established himself as a threat on the perimeter in the collegiate level. Starting off his career at Liberty University, he made 102 three-pointers field goals and broke the Big South Conference single-season scoring record for a freshman. After his freshmen season, he decided to transfer to Duke University. During his senior season at Duke, Curry averaged 17.5 points per game on 43.8 percent three-point shooting.

Although his numbers are impressive, it is hard to say that Curry can reproduce those numbers in the big leagues. His ability to create shots off the dribble has improved over the course of his college career, but it is his size that can be his Achilles’ heel.

Standing at just 6’2” with a 185 pound frame, Curry does not have the ideal size for a shooting guard in the NBA. The prototypical shooting guard stands at about 6’5” and weighing at 205 pounds. Playing against bigger defenders, he would find it harder to get shots off even with great one-on-one skills.

However, we have seen undersized guards excel at the NBA level, such as Allen Iverson, Monta Ellis and Nate Robinson. But those players were able to succeed for their athletic abilities which Curry does not possess. He lacks explosiveness, strength and lateral quickness that can give him a chance to compete at the next level.

If Curry struggles at the 2-guard position, he can transition into becoming a point guard instead of his natural position. However, it may be a tough for the young Curry as his numbers reflected his uncomfortableness as a facilitator at Duke. In his junior season, Curry was sought to be the primary ball handler and distributor for the team but was unable to keep that position as his assist-to-turnover ratio was at an average of 1.2 per game.

Curry’s shooting was also affected while he was the point guard that season. His three-point shooting percentage took a dip from 43.5 percent a year prior to just 38.3 percent.

Though it would be a great story to pair him with his big brother, it is highly unlikely that Curry would make the roster for the upcoming season. He has an incredible ability to shoot the ball from deep range, but the Warriors’ backcourt is crowded with reserves who can shoot. Toney Douglas has established himself as a deadly shooter beyond the arc, and Kent Bazemore has shown improvement in his outside shooting over the summer.

However, there is still much promise to the 23-year old. There is the possibility of Curry playing for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA Development League (NBADL).

In recent years, the Warriors have paved the way for many NBADL players by developing them and providing them opportunities to play. They currently hold the most call-ups by bringing in 19 players. Players who were able to maintain a career in the NBA that were affiliated with the Warriors D-League program are C.J. Watson, Jeremy Lin, Will Bynum, Anthony Morrow and Anthony Tolliver.