Ranking Stephen Curry's top 3 teammates during Golden State Warriors' 2014-15 NBA championship run
Stephen Curry, the king beyond the arc, is the Golden State Warriors' magnum opus. All greats are built for greatness, in hindsight.
League insiders today can't help but claim they saw Curry's greatness from a mile away. But the honest truth? The league started taking notice of the baby-faced assassin only in 2012-13. That was the year he launched into the 20+ point district.
Eight seasons later, Stephen Curry is arguably the greatest shooter in the game's history. Looking back, some might claim that when he scored 20 points per game, he was on every team's radar. That may hold some value. After all, which team doesn't fear an opponent that can punish defenses without any regard?
Stephen Curry has passed Ray Allen for the most threes in NBA history including playoffs.
Steph has played in 585 fewer games. https://t.co/OCOot6X2Ke
However, Stephen Curry truly became the player he is today in 2014-15. That was the season Steve Kerr replaced Mark Jackson as the Golden State Warriors' coach. Under his tutelage, Curry shot 286 threes. That was a whopping 47 more than Klay Thompson and 65 more than Kyle Korver.
Stephen Curry led the Golden State Warriors to the NBA Championship
Stephen Curry led the Warriors to their first championship this century in the 2014-15 season. However, a few players were invaluable in helping Curry win his first MVP award and his first championship ring. On that note, here's a look at three such players from that season:
#3 Harrison Barnes
Harrison Barnes, like the 2012-13 Curry, has stepped into the domain of 20+ points per game this season. He is currently averaging 21.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. However, in 2014-15, Barnes was still blossoming as a player. He was the fourth-best scorer in the Golden State Warriors roster, with 10.1 points per game.
What really made Barnes one of Curry's key teammates was his impact in rebounding and shooting from beyond the arc. He averaged 1.1 three-pointers in 2.6 attempts while maintaining 40.5% success rate from downtown. Furthermore, he recorded 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists. His consistency throughout the season and in the playoffs makes him a worthy player on this list.
#2 Draymond Green
The self-proclaimed greatest defender ever, the one and only Draymond Green, was another key teammate of Stephen Curry in the 2014-15 season. This should not come as any surprise, as Green is a man of many talents that have helped Curry and the Warriors over the years.
Green is one of the best defenders of the 2010s. He is a terror on court, bullying opponent. What makes him an absolute defensive beast is his ability to get under the skin of key rivals. He can block shots, steal balls and talk trash like no other.
A pick-and-roll genius, playmaker and rebounder, Draymond Green will go down in history as one of the greatest defenders to have ever played the game.
#1 Klay Thompson
"The way the Warriors have been playing already, this is scary."
@channingfrye & @KristenLedlow react to Klay Thompson's latest message to the fans on #Handles https://t.co/BXoKzDYk3n
The other half of the Splash Brothers, Klay Thompson, has not been in action in more than two years, yet he is still a feared assassin. The Warriors await his return with great anticipation. With him on the court alongside Curry, the Warriors could devour opponents on their way to the championship.
Klay Thompson, in 2014-15, put up 2.7 threes per game during the playoffs to help his team defeat every opponent, including the formidable Cleveland Cavaliers. He shot 3.1 threes and averaged 21.7 points per game during the regular season. That makes Thompson is undoubtedly Stephen Curry's best teammate in the 2014-15 season.