"He did as good of a job on Steph as I’ve seen in a long time" - Steve Kerr credits Matisse Thybulle's defense as Steph Curry goes 3-14 from downtown in a Golden State Warriors loss
Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry has been the talk of the town thus far this season, and rightfully so. Chef Curry has been lighting it up from the perimeter as he closes in on Ray Allen's record. Curry has currently made 2967 three-pointers and is just six short of the record held by Ray Allen.
There were hopes that Steph Curry could do his thing and break the record against his brother's team the Philadephia 76ers. Unfortunately, things didn't go according to plan as Matisse Thybulle was at his defensive best against Curry. During the post-game press conference, the Warriors' head coach waxed lyrical about the 76ers defense and Thybulle in particular for a great job defending Steph Curry. He said:
“I give Thybulle credit… He did as good of a job on Steph as I’ve seen in a long time.”
However, Curry did have 18 points on the night while shooting a meager 3 of 14 from beyond the arc. The 76ers won the game 102-93 thanks to a solid performance from Joel Embiid, who had 26 points and 9 rebounds as the Philadelphia-based team inflicted the Warriors' fifth defeat of the season.
How hard is it to defend Steph Curry?
Without a doubt the greatest shooter God has ever created, Steph Curry has been wreaking havoc ever since he was drafted with the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. The Baby-Faced Assassin's unlimited range, coupled with marksmanship-like ability, has defenses in the NBA struggling to defend him.
Credit where credit is due: Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers recognized how special Curry was and assembled a team around him, ultimately creating a dynasty that would go on to win three championships in five years.
What makes Curry so special is his ability to score in multiple ways from multiple positions. Curry has to be guarded the second he crosses half-court, which means the opposition defense is often spread thin all over the court trying to pick up their assignment.
Curry can create his own shot or score off the catch and shoot, draining buckets with incredible precision. This, coupled with his off-the-ball movement, makes him an extremely hard man to guard. If Curry attracts double teams then he has the awareness to dish it out to the open man on the court. Now when you add another top-five shooter of all time in Klay Thompson to this team, the Warriors become even harder to defend against, let alone beat.
Bottom line is, there is no set blueprint on how to guard Steph Curry. NBA defenses can try to pay close attention to him and do their best to smother him while also attempting to keep an eye on his teammates. Usually an opposing team's best is to just hope and pray that Curry has a torrid shooting night.