Here is the reality of Stephen Curry in the playoffs: he shows up when it is necessary.
Prior to Kevin Durant’s injury, fans and critics alike saw something that is not usual with the two time MVP- he took a back seat. Like it was glaringly obvious that he was taking a back seat and allowing Kevin Durant to do what he does best dominate on both sides of the court. Not too sure if he was on cruise control and he took a page out of LeBron James book and decided to prioritize load management but Stephen Curry wasn’t himself.
Until Durant went down with his most recent hurdle: a right leg sprain.
The temporary injury has worked wonders for both KD and Steph. For Steph, he has taken this opportunity to almost complete silence the “haters” regarding his place in the NBA and to debunk the false narrative regarding him. For Kevin Durant, however, this injury gives him some much need rest and treatment as the Warriors play chess on the way to their fifth straight finals. On today’s edition of TimeOut, I am going to debunk two myths regarding Curry’s play style as I take a close look at Curry’s dominance since KD’s injury.
Steph Curry only shoots three pointers
Steph Curry is currently averaging 36.3 points in the Western Conference Finals against the Portland Trailblazers. When you look at Curry stats, however, you will recognize that there is a balance between his field goal percentage and his 3-point percentage. Currently, he is shooting 47.9% from the field (highest on the team) and 42.2% from 3-point range. The last time he shot close to 50% from the field in the playoffs was in the 2017 playoffs where he shot 48.4% from the field.
In comparison to the Rockets series, he is attempting more field goals- four to be exact. In the Rockets series, there was a clear separation between his field goal percentage and his 3-point percentage. Against the Rockets, he was eight of twenty from the field which 40.3% and he was 27.9% from the 3-point range making 3.2 of his 11.3 3-pointers. If Curry continues on this route in the Finals, he may shoot the highest field goal percentage for his career.
However, his ability to shoot in the paint didn’t just emerge in the postseason. During the 2018-2019 regular season, he was 59.4% from the restricted area. From the left side of the key, he made thirteen of his 27 field goal attempts, from the center he shot 45.9%. However, from the right side of the key, he shot the lowest field goal percentage which was 38.5% which was below the league average. Overall, he has shot really well from two-point range being the 3-point connoisseur that he is. Especially with the arrival of Kevin Durant almost three years ago, fans and critics alike have seen Steph diversify his shots and not only attempt these two-point shots but making these shots on a consistent basis.
Steph Curry cannot defend
This was not the case in the Western Conference Finals. Although Steph Curry is not on Draymond Green’s nor Klay Thompson’s level in regards to defense, we can no longer uphold the sentiment that Steph is a horrible defender. In this year’s playoffs, he has averaged 5.6 defensive rebounds which is the highest for his career.
As a result of grabbing those career-high rebounds, he has the highest total rebound percentage for his career at 9.7% and the highest defensive rebound percentage at 16.7%. Currently, his defensive rating is 112 and the possibility is that if he continues on his defensive route, he may end the season with a higher defensive rating.
At the moment his highest defensive rating is 116 which was achieved a year before the Golden State Warriors got their first championship in forty years.
Overall Steph Curry has been turning heads and leaving fans and critics alike with lasting memories. But one thing is for certain Steph Curry is no longer the undersized guard who can only shoot.