Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry has gotten better with time

Back when Stephen Curry was blazing his trail to the NBA’s first-ever unanimous MVP award in 2015-16, we all assumed we were seeing the best basketball the Golden State Warriors‘ superstar had to offer. Five years later, Curry is revving up the engine again and showing us he might be capable of even more greatness.

As the season continues, we are realizing Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors are only going to get better with time.

The Warriors don’t have a chance of matching their success in the 2016 season. They’ve already lost more games in the first half of this season than they did throughout the entire regular season back then – but, that doesn’t mean Curry hasn’t been equally (if not more) amazing as an individual. Compare Curry’s MVP numbers to his current averages:

Stephen Curry 2015-16:

• 30.1 Points Per Game
• 50.4 Field Goal Percentage
• 45.4 3-Point Percentage

Stephen Curry 2020-21:

• 30.0 Points Per Game
• 47.9 Field Goal Percentage
• 41.6 3-Point Percentage

While the face value statistics favor Curry’s MVP season ever so slightly, there are factors that we have to add in to truly understand how amazing Steph has been lately. For example, Curry isn’t playing with the elite supporting cast he had in 2016 – instead, he is the primary focus of every defense the Warriors face.

This hasn’t stopped Curry a bit. If we take out the first few weeks of the season when he was getting his feet back after a nine-month layoff, Curry has been averaging 31.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.7 rebounds on 50/43/94 shooting splits. He’s hitting 5.4 3-pointers per game during this stretch, the most of any player in the NBA.

However, what really separates Curry from his 2016 self is his defense. While Curry may have led the league in steals that season, he was constantly picked on and targetted by opponents. Now, this move isn’t so easy, as Curry has blossomed into a high-IQ defender who can hold his own against most guards.

This increased experience goes for every facet of his game. Curry has a broader understanding of how to dominate and he’s doing all of the little things that make him so great. From setting screens to directing traffic, these details are what elevate Curry above the rest of the guards attempting to copy his run-and-gun playstyle (I’m talking about you, Trae Young).

Plus, we shouldn’t write off the Warriors’ dynasty from storming back from the underground soon. Klay Thompson’s return is on the horizon while Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Oubre and James Wiseman are bursting at the seams with potential. Golden State also might land two NBA Draft Lottery picks, lending them the potential to rebuild this dynasty quicker than any team has before.