The Golden State Warriors are off to a hot 4-1 start on the season and they seem to be rolling. The best part is, the team has not had to rely on star point guard Stephen Curry too much and fans should hope it stays that way.
So far this season through five games, Curry has averaged 27 points per game and has shot a whopping 50.6% from the field and 42.3% from three-point range. He is doing Curry-like things pretty much every game, yet at the the same time has been given a lot of support.
Ever since the regular season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers, Curry hasn't had to do everything on his own. Whether it's been Jimmy Butler playing great and lightening the load or younger players stepping up, Curry has not been asked to don the Superman cape each and every night which is something he's been forced with in the past if the team had any chance of winning.
Warriors don't need Stephen Curry to be Superman this season
Do not fret, Curry has still gone off. He dropped 42 points in an overtime thriller over the Denver Nuggets, but his output, or lack thereof, in the team's last two victories speaks volumes to how they have won this season.
Curry put up 16 points in 30 minutes against the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night and the team won comfortably 131-118. Then, on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers he put up 19 points in 26 minutes played as the Dubs coasted to another fairly breezy 98-79 victory.
If the Warriors can keep doing this, it is going to be huge. Against Memphis, younger players stepped up as Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, and Moses Moody all put up 20 points or more which took a ton of pressure off Curry and the other veterans on the team.
That model for success, where the younger players can take some of the heat off every now and again, is going to be much more sustainable than one in which Curry has to average 30 points per game.
Sure, that might hurt his overall stats and make it harder for him to be a legitimate MVP candidate, but Curry surely wants another ring and potential Finals MVP over a regular season MVP award at this stage of his career.
The Warriors are finding a sustainable model of success where Curry does not have to play hero every night. Superman/Batman can take a break and let Robin (Butler), Nightwing (Podziemski), and Red Hood (Kuminga) pick up the slack which is only going to mean good things for the Warriors in the long run.