“He's willing to put the ball in the hands of the hot player” - Vince Carter praises 3-time NBA champion, believes the Golden State Warriors don’t need him to be at his best to win
Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry has been praised for being selfless by Vince Carter as the guard gears up for the NBA Finals.
On ESPN's morning show "Get Up," former Toronto Raptors star Vince Carter waxed lyrical about Curry's ability to be unselfish. It's one of the reasons why he believes that the Warriors can beat the Boston Celtics, as Curry doesn't necessarily need to be at his best for them to win. Carter said:
"Steph is an unselfish superstar, and he's willing to put the ball in the hands of the hot player or the guy who is going or get guys going and that's one thing that is great about him is that Steph doesn't have to have the ball to be effective, his ball movement, his ability to move off screens."
Curry and the Celtics will match up in Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals at the home of the Warriors on Thursday night. This clash is being billed as offense against defense.
The Celtics possess the best defense in the league, while the Warriors possess the greatest shooting backcourt in the history of the game. They also have a defensive stalwart in Draymond Green and youth in players like Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga and others.
.@mrvincecarter15 says that even if the Celtics give Steph a hard time, the Warriors can still win the series.
“Steph is an unselfish superstar! ... [He] does not have to have the ball to be effective.” https://t.co/zuEPk51ykz
How does Steph Curry impact the game?
One of the biggest criticisms of Steph Curry's illustrious career has been the fact that he is classified as a point guard and not a shooting guard. Arguably the greatest shooter ever, Curry has been playing as a guard for the Warriors. However, his responsibilities aren't necessarily associated with a point guard.
Steph Curry's ability to come off screens, lose his man and get an open shot is a common occurrence with the way the Warriors play. It led them to five straight NBA Finals, which involved three championships. Their style of play allowed them to compile one of the greatest dynasties in the history of the league.
Stephen Curry has his 7th 30-point game of the playoffs.
Michael Jordan and LeBron James are the only players with that many 30-point games in a single postseason at age-34 or older. MJ and LeBron both won Finals MVP in the seasons they did this. https://t.co/ISpcbZlqZc
With the way the Warriors are set up, Draymond Green orchestrates the offense and gets Klay Thompson and Steph Curry open shots.
Steph Curry's off-ball movement has been waxed lyrical by everyone associated with the NBA and is something to truly behold. Steve Kerr can deploy Curry in more of an off-guard role because of the availability of Green.
With all that said, the ball handling duties rest with Curry in the absence of Green. Curry can revert to a quintessential point guard whenever he chooses to. The "Baby-Faced Assassin" possesses the ball-handling skills to get his teammates involved and get them going whenever needed.