Not that Stephen Curry has a weak supporting cast; rather, it’s becoming more and more clear that he has less support than any of the nine clubs ranked higher than his Warriors.
A closer examination of the West standings indicates that every club that is headed to the playoffs has two co-stars in their lineup, as noted by Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic in a recent piece. Although Nikola Jokic and Shai Gilgeous Alexander’s running companions, Jamal Murray and Jalen Williams, have not yet been selected to All-Star teams, their consistent performance throughout the game justifies their designation as “co-stars.”
According to Thompson II, Andrew Wiggins, Chris Paul, and Klay Thompson—three former All-Stars for the Warriors—no longer play like a dependable No. 2 option. Furthermore, the 21-year-old Jonathan Kuminga has not yet fully realized his immense potential. That’s reasonable.
“In today’s NBA, you need another player with the gumption and ability to take over games, punish matchups and thrive off the superstar,” writes Thompson. “In stressful situations, this player needs to be able to score and create plays — against strong defenses. In the modern NBA, where explosive offense is everything, you cannot succeed without it.”
Curry is genuinely unique.
In the closing five minutes of a game, Curry’s genuine shooting difference from the rest of his teammates is revealed by Automatic on X, if there was ever a statistic to support that claim.
The narrative goes on. screenshot.twitter.com/y9emQqnYTz
— March 25, 2024, Automatic (@automaticnba)
Here are even more striking statistics: Thompson shoots 30 percent, Kuminga 32, Wiggins 33, and Green 15 in the fourth quarter, with Curry being the only member of the Warriors to get hot from deep. Paul makes 40% of his shots but attempts fewer than one three-pointer in the fourth quarter.
Due to their poor performance in the fourth quarter, Golden State has blown 13 12-point leads this season. The team led by Steve Kerr just can’t finish games.
Curry has amazingly guided the Warriors to a 19-18 record in games decided in the clutch despite all those obstacles. But, the Warriors should have him on staff for the upcoming campaign.
Leave a Reply