The Golden State Warriors have found their stride at the perfect time. With the trade deadline looming, they have won seven of their last 10 games, looking better on both ends of the court in that span.
De'Anthony Melton has emerged as a serious offensive option this season, and a number of players have started to become more reliable in their contributions.
Yet, over his past 10 games, superstar Stephen Curry has seen a downtick in his performance, regressing slightly from the heights he reached earlier in the season.
Curry will continue to be this team's star player without a doubt. But how long can the Warriors manage to win without him at his absolute best? Is there any hope for this team if Curry does not find sustained excellence this season?
Stephen Curry has been great, but the Warriors need absolute excellence
In the early portions of the season, Curry was playing the best ball he has in recent years. Over his first 23 games, he averaged 28.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 4.3 assists while knocking down 38.9% of his attempts from beyond the arc.
Ironically, this did not correspond with success for Golden State. They were 12-11 in the games in which he played, and the inconsistency of their supporting cast prevented them from stringing important wins together.
Equally ironically, this last stretch has come with a dip in Curry's production. Over his last 10 games, he's averaging just 24.8 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists while knocking down 37.7% of his shots from beyond the arc. He has two abnormally low-scoring performances in this span as well: against the Portland Trail Blazers and the Charlotte Hornets.
On the surface, this is not disastrous in the slightest. Curry has been working through a quad contusion the past couple of games, and he is still one of the best players in the league even at this level of performance.
Yet any shot the Warriors have at clawing their way out of the play-in will require Curry to be at his absolute best for the remainder of the season. While they've found a way to win recently, there's no indication the supporting cast around Curry can sustain this success without superstar-caliber play from him.
If they are able to net a tertiary scorer at the trade deadline, and Curry's early-season level of performance returns, they could quickly become championship contenders.
If Curry regresses to the production he had last season, this team could find themselves with an exponentially tougher route towards a deep playoff run.