Steph Curry: How the Warriors star ‘revolutionized’ the NBA

Evolution

When Curry entered the league in 2009 as the Warriors’ overall 9th ​​pick, just a year after Allen helped the Boston Celtics win the NBA, scoring nearly 40% from three-pointers and more than 90% from the Free throw line.

During his rookie year, Curry – a new skinny point guard from Davidson University – was a strong contender for the Rookie of the Year award, averaging 17.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5, 9 assists and 1.90 steals while shooting 43.7% from further than the arc.

In his first few seasons, he showed the potential to be a goal-scoring threat through a number of injuries, while also developing a bond with teammate Klay Thompson that set the pair apart. catchy title is “The Splash Brothers.”

He averaged more than 20 points per game from 2012 on, but it was the hiring of Steve Kerr in 2014 that made Curry a superstar.

Through a combination of Kerr’s tactical changes to the Warriors’ style of play and Curry’s excellence, Golden State won the title and Curry developed into one of the best players in the league.

He was voted NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) on his way to the Warriors’ first NBA title in 40 years, but the best is yet to come.

During the 2015-16 season, Curry entered another stratosphere.

He became the seventh player in NBA history to join the 50-40-90 club where, on average, players hit the ball more than 50% from the field, 40% from the third and 90% from the free throw.

While he set the NBA record for most three-pointers in a season with 272 in 2012-13, he broke that just two years later with 286. However, in 2016, he went to another level, scoring a phenomenal 402 three times to break his own record.

In addition to helping the Warriors set an all-time NBA record of 73 wins and nine losses, Curry himself had a historic moment of his own, known as the league’s first unanimous MVP in recognition of the season. his domination.

Though the Warriors suffered heartbreaking defeats to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in that year’s NBA Finals, Curry and Golden State bounced back to win consecutive titles in 2017 and 2018 as he established himself as a champion. one of the most dynamic and destructive players in the league.

Despite turning 30, Curry hasn’t faltered, averaging a career point last season and almost single-handedly bringing a young and injured Warriors team to the brink of the knockout stages.

And this season, still with an inexperienced team, Curry has continued to shine, sending his Warriors to the NBA’s best record and securing them in the playoff hunt.

But surpassing Allen’s all-time record for the most goals in NBA history – not only surpassing it, but surpassing it for many career years to come – could be the climax of his impact on the team. with the game of basketball.

Future

Before Curry took the lead, the three-point shot was a factor in causing the NBA to commit crime, not a reliable method to success.

But through stamina, know-how, mobility, precision, and endurance, Curry changed perception.

He has taken the lead – in addition to other teams like the Houston Rockets led by James Harden – to normalize shooting from a distance on a field that was previously unthinkable and can only put you on the bench.

Curry’s influence is due to the fact that he has completely changed the way basketball teams play in the league, with more and more focus on their long-range shooting ability.

There’s also a whole new generation of players – including Trae Young and Luka Doncic – whose three-pointers are the main way of scoring and not just something to be used occasionally.

When asked if Curry is the most influential player of the past 30 years, NBA great and Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal tended to agree.