Steph Curry is Reminding Everyone Who He Is

Stephen Curry is a three-time NBA Champion, two-time league MVP, and is closing in on the all-time league leader in three-pointers made. He’s been regarded as one of, if not the greatest shooter to ever step on the court for quite a few years now. He could retire today and be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. With all of this taken into account, this current NBA season may be the most crucial to him establishing his legacy as an all-time transcendent player. After suffering the injuries of star players Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson during the 2019 NBA Finals loss to the Toronto Raptors, Curry was seemingly left forlorn with the Warriors dynasty crumbling around him. Durant left for Brooklyn the following offseason, and Thompson has yet to play since after suffering setbacks with knee injuries. To make matters worse, Curry suffered a broken hand, resulting in missing all but five games during the 2019-2020 campaign en route to the Warriors claiming the league’s worst record. Curry, now 32 years old, saw the media begin to speculate his future, and what his next move would be. Was it time he moved on from the Warriors? If he stayed, would his play suffer due to no elite scoring options at his side for the first time in his career? His play this season has assured the answer to both of these are a resounding no.

28 games into the 2021 NBA season, Steph Curry finds himself averaging 30 points per game as well as shooting 50/40/90, both among the league’s leaders. Curry publicly took tweets from fans saying he’ll get exposed as motivation this season and has not let up. At 32 years old, the greatest shooter of all time may be playing the most important basketball of his career. The Warriors currently sit hovering around the race for the 8th seed in the Western Conference. After finishing dead last in the league last season, Curry’s value is evident early on this year as he has silenced the naysayers and re-asserted his NBA legacy as someone who has changed the way NBA basketball is played. The increase in pace of play and scoring the past five years is directly correlated with the success of the Warriors from 2015-2020. So, what is next for Curry and the Warriors?

For Curry to make a legitimate case for his third MVP, the Warriors would most likely need to make the playoffs, at the very minimum. Joel Embiid and LeBron James have been the leading MVP candidates through the first third of the season, both with teams near the top of their respective conferences. Many would hesitate to give Curry the nod for the award with his team only at the 8th seed, but he may still get some consideration when you factor in that his supporting cast doesn’t quite stack up to that of his competition.

As for long-term success, seeing Curry play alongside Klay Thompson is something many were not sure we would ever see again after the latter Splash Bro tore his Achilles amidst his recovery from an ACL tear. Next season Curry and Thompson will be 33 and 32 respectively, but that does not mean their window is closing. With both of their styles of play, they can sustain NBA success for years to come. However, health is the major caveat. The Warriors have a stripped down supporting cast from previous years super teams, but still have solid pieces in Draymond Green, #2 overall pick James Wiseman, and even Andrew Wiggins.

Even if Curry does not win MVP or even make the playoffs this year for that matter, he has put any doubt to rest of his ability to remain one of the best players in the league despite being the only elite scoring option on his team. He is the undoubted veteran leader of a much younger Golden State team that we have grown used to, but with the development of some of this younger talent and the hopeful recovery of Klay Thompson, the future still looks bright for the Warriors.

Written by: Kyle Coreth

February 17, 2021