How the NBA has evolved around Steph Curry
You have made it, when writing your own path rewrites the path of basketball. Steph Curry has paved his steps in the story books as the player who changed the game of basketball at a mere 6'3'' and a soft 190-lbs.
The three point shot was introduced back in 1980 and called a 'gimmick' by the media. The shot was considered boring. Yet, 38 years later, it is the core of basketball and the most fun player in the league is revolutionizing the game everyday using the so called 'gimmick'.
Steph Curry endured rejection from every top school in the country despite his father, Dell Curry being a 16 year NBA veteran. He joined Davidson College in North Carolina as a skinny kid at 6'2''and 163 lbs. Curry's small stature stopped Virginia Tech, his father's alma-mater and Curry's dream school from giving him a scholarship.
Curry scored 113 three pointers in his freshman year, breaking previous NCAA records. At the end of his freshman season, he was the 'Southern Conference freshman of the year', 'Southern Conference MVP', All-freshman team along with a U-19 call up for USA basketball.
He followed his record breaking freshman season with once in a lifetime sophomore outing. He got nominated for ESPY 'Breakout player of the year' as well as lead Davidson to historical advances.
In his junior year, he continued his development as a point guard with unparalleled vision and shooting prowess. Curry elected to enter the draft after his junior year in college.
After an award filled and upper echelon college career, everyone would have thought of him to be a surefire top pick at the NBA Draft. He ended up being selected 7th in 2009 draft. The scouts and managers had a different view on his playing style and his transformation to next level.
Jonny Flynn was selected before him in the 2009 draft. He doesn't even play in NBA anymore.
The sport was a center heavy league with height and size dominating the play design and money in basketball. NBA took 3 guards on an average between 2000-2010 in top 10 of the draft. Since then, the NBA draft has given 5 guards each year in top 10 till last year.
Curry has scored 2,129 three pointers out of his attempted 4,880 shots at a record setting rate of 0.436. He will most likely become the third best in the list of three point shooters by the end of upcoming season behind Ray Allen and Reggie MIller.
Steph Curry holds 10 of the top 20 'threes scored in a single game' awards since 1980 ( since the 3-point line was initiated). The mean value of teams attempting three pointers between 2003 and 2010 (the season after Curry joined the NBA) was 18 compared to 23, since then.
The ability to score three pointers at ease by Curry has led other teams to follow the same brand of basketball in attempt to keep up with Warriors intense speed of play.
Curry has changed the dynamics of dunk and three point shots. Three point line is where the cool kids hang out in 2018.
The players entering the league this year or in the coming years were mere 10 year olds when Steph Curry took the country by storm at Davidson and consequently in NBA.
This new generation of basketball players (Trae Young, Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell) grew up watching Steph Curry and Klay Thompson set screens and pop threes all day in the latter part of this decade.
The bigs have dominated the game but the appeal of a small yet dominating point guard has fascinated more youngsters than ever. No kid can aspire to match the physicality of LeBron James, but each and everyone can relate to Steph Curry, the underdog. The stamp of Curry's popularity can be certified by his jersey sales topping everyone else for the past 4 years.
Steve Kerr (Warrior's coach) developed a team in the Bay area built around Curry. He brought small ball to prominence, where every player could play with and without the ball. The fluid motion ran through Steph Curry.
They were so fast that big men couldn't guard them. They had such range of shooting that your average guards can't keep up with them. When the world took three pointers from the line, Curry took them from the logo.
Steph Curry is one of the purest catch and shoot guy accompanied by Kyle Korver and his own teammate Klay Thompson. Golden State Warriors have won three of the last four titles.
In a copy cat world, everyone is trying to emulate them to beat them. Steph Curry has won two MVPs along with being the only unanimous league MVP, when they won 73 of their 82 games (world record).
Steph Curry will never be as big as LeBron James, he will never be as fast as Russell Westbrook nor will he be as tall as Dirk Nowitzki, but the game will keep evolving around him even after he hangs up those boots
50 years from now, when you are sitting at a pub discussing 'ball with your retired buddies, you will surely say Mike was the greatest, LeBron was a close second but 'baby-faced' Curry is the face of basketball as we know it today.