When thinking about Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, many fans bring up the fact that Curry’s greatness is being wasted as the team languishes in mediocrity. That’s a fair point of view, but it seems the 2x MVP may care more about whether the team is competitive or not as he decides how long he wants his NBA career to last.
Marcus Thompson II brought this point up on KNBR recently. He said that Curry really doesn’t have a reason to step away at this point: "While everyone on social media is going crazy about ruining Steph’s legacy, Steph is like, ‘Yeah I wanna win but what’s better than this (playing at a high level).’”
Stephen Curry is playing for more than just championships at this point
Sure, the Warriors are a far cry from where they were during the Golden Age of their dynasty, but even in a disappointing year like this one, Curry has still proven that when he’s healthy and on the court he is absolutely dominant.
It was a while ago now, but if one recalls back to earlier in the season when the Warriors won two back-to-back games against the San Antonio Spurs, a feat that would feel impossible now, thanks to Curry going off for 49 and 46 points, it was a reminder that Curry is still one of the best players in the league and that when he gets hot, he can still carry the Warriors on his back.
Unfortunately, his nagging knee issue has kept him out since late January, so we haven't been able to see any version of Steph for some time. The season isn't over and he's said he wants to come back, so maybe Curry can treat everyone to a little bit of magic if he does return.
If he does, maybe turning in a vintage Play-In performance against the Portland Trail Blazers will show why Curry has no reason to hang it up quite yet. As long as he is still doing magical things and having fun on the court, there is a reason for him to be out there.
Just because the Warriors may not ever win another championship with Curry, doesn't mean his final years are a waste. He's still keeping the team afloat and somewhat relevant which is a valuable thing and should not be taken for granted.
Things can obviously change though. Maybe in a year or two injuries start to catch up with Curry or the Warriors become so uncompetitive that they become hard to watch or believe in. At that point, Curry may decide that it's time to walk away.
But for now, the Warriors still have talent and on paper should have some kind of shot at the playoffs next season if they can stay healthy and Jimmy Butler comes back at some point.
As long as Curry can still do special things on the court, why stop? That’s probably enough for him at this point in his career.