Stephen Curry, the Whole Package

November 16, 2015

There are plenty of lofty adjectives to praise Stephen Curry because his performance this year has reached a new dimension. Even up to last year, I often got upset with him because he was making too many turnovers. He is now playing at a level where he is no longer turning the ball over, and he is doing everything and anything possible on a basketball court. He is playing like a combination of Kobe Bryant, Pete Maravich, and Nate "Tiny" Archibald, which means he is making unbelievable shots, dribbling, and handling the ball with wizardry. He is fun to watch and ascends the game to a level of entertainment sorely lacking in the NBA.

Plenty of distractors will say that he is just a jump shooter who lives and dies by the three-point play. I thought that talk would go away after the Warriors won the championship against his anthesis, LeBron James. LeBron James is everything that Curry is not and vice versa, except that each of these guys makes their teammates better. What I have seen this year is a more aggressive attempt to do even more. He is playing better defense, more opportunistic, and elevating his game to complete player status. This is where Michael Jordon evolved when he started being named to all-defensive teams.

When teams attempt to corral Curry, his teammates step up their game and propel the Warriors to victory. When you thought you have him defensed, he will launch a thirty-foot jumper from way beyond the arc and ignite his team. No player in the NBA has this kind of range consistently. In addition, just a small handful of players become more focused and determined to win at the end of the game.  I see LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, and Curry as the most dynamic players you want to have the ball at the end of the game.

I did mention that Curry is fun to watch and not just because I am a Warrior fan. You can see that he is having fun, and when he makes an extraordinary play, he smiles and enjoys the moment. He has been making plays that the Harlem Globetrotters are not even making. I don’t see a better dribbler in the league because of all the behind the back and between the legs dribbling done on a nightly basis. I tried to use as many adjectives as I could, but I think a noun is better suited, like "the whole package." Curry is a player at the height of his game, a joy to watch, good for the fans, and lastly, a role model for youngsters.  Salute Stephen Curry