Stephen Curry is gearing up to shock the world and put the Golden State Warriors back on top of the throne.
Even though he struggled in his first preseason game, Steve Kerr said watching Stephen Curry return to the Golden State Warriors was a ‘sight for sore eyes’. After all, it had been nearly 300 days since the two-time MVP appeared in a game, and before that, he had missed more than half of the season with a hand injury.
While the ongoing pandemic and Klay Thompson’s torn Achilles is something to worry about – the Warriors can rest assured they have Curry back in the chamber and ready to lead the charge. With everyone counting them out, Curry is prepared to stun the league.
Curry’s preseason performances
Curry shot just 3-for-10 in his first game back against Denver. But, we’ll chalk that one up to rust – especially since he lit the Sacramento Kings ablaze in his next two games. He scored 58 points in 57 minutes while drilling 11-of-26 attempts from deep. The Warriors won both games, and Curry made a statement that he isn’t falling off any time soon.
One of the main concerns surrounding the Warriors this season is how will Curry respond to playing without Thompson? The second splash brother played a key role in supporting Curry on both ends of the floor. How would the Dubs ever replace this two-way production?
So far, Curry hasn’t missed a beat. This is mainly because of the additions of Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andrew Wiggins. The two versatile perimeter players are able to assist Curry in scoring, combining for over 40 points in their most recent game.
While Oubre and Wiggins will never be able to match the 3-and-D prowess of Thompson, they have shown that they are capable of doing just enough to keep the Warriors alive. Throw in Draymond Green and James Wiseman once the season starts and Curry should be just fine with his supporting cast.
Curry’s MVP hopes
Don’t get it twisted, Curry is focused on bigger goals than winning another individual award. However, dragging the Warriors to the top will likely push his name into the MVP discussion. How likely is it that Curry snags his third MVP this season?
Assuming he manages to stay healthy, we can expect Curry to put up incredible numbers this year. He is on pace to knock down 3-pointers at a historic rate and lead a band of underdogs to one of the top seeds in the West. It would be hard to argue against his case for MVP if he keeps the Warriors in title contention this season.
Other potential candidates include a young superstar Luka Doncic and the reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. If Curry wants to secure another piece of individual hardware, he will have to outplay both of those stars.