The Golden State Warriors played their first pre-season game of the year, and first game since March,10th. The Warriors won their game against the Denver Nuggets with key performances from role players.
Stephen Curry made his return to the Hardwood for the Golden State Warriors in their first pre-season game of the year. Last we saw of Curry, he was dropping 23 points on the Toronto Raptors on March 5th. This year will be even more of a test for Curry, especially without his counterpart Klay Thompson.
The 30-year-old shooting guard will be out for another full season, but this time with a torn Achilles. Without Thompson, Curry will have to carry even more of the workload and fill the void on the offensive side. The 32-year-old point guard will have to get back to his MVP ways and lead this team back to the playoffs. Even though it is just a pre-season game, it starts there. So let’s grade Curry’s performance in his first game back.
Grading Stephen Curry’s first game back
Offense: C+
Before anyone says anything, yes I know it is just a pre-season game. However, I thought it would be fun to see how Steph is doing considering he has not played in an NBA game since early March.
I am sure Warriors fans have seen better offensive performances from the shimmy god himself, but in his 21-minute performance, he played okay.
Obviously, everyone saw the first three he made off of the dribble handoff. Curry looked at home and hit his shot comfortably. Steph also hit a pull-up three on the fast break after getting the loose ball steal.
In terms of his IQ, Steph looked like Steph, to put it generally. When Jamaal Murray and one other player doubled, he hit a slipping Kevon Looney for the and-one bucket. Not only that, but he had a nice finish when he realized how closely the defense was playing him. His finishing ability has always been an underrated skill of his, but his amazing shooting ability has overshadowed that in the past.
Defense: C-
Steph Curry has never been known for his defense, like ever. However, it is an essential skill for every player and team. In this pre-season game, Steph Curry did not show us anything we did not already know about him.
From his miscommunications on pick and rolls to his indecisiveness on “switch everything” defense, which he has played ever since Steve Kerr got the coaching job.
While his defense was not great, he had flashes of good on the ball and post defense in the game. At one point, he was posted up by Micheal Porter Jr. on a switch, and while he contested the fadeaway jumper very well, it did not matter due to the size advantage for MPJ.
He also showed some great on-ball defense when staying with a shifty player in Jamaal Murray. All in all, it is Stephen Curry we are talking about, and to expect anymore more would be silly of us.
While his performance was not the best, it feels good to see Curry back on the court. Even head coach Steve Kerr said after the game:
"“It’s a sight for sore eyes.”"
Hopefully, he will build on this debut and get back to MVP level soon.