Some used to say Stephen Curry couldn’t win a championship without Kevin Durant. However, that narrative came to an end after Curry led the Dubs to their fourth NBA title in the last eight years.
As expected, Curry capped off the Warriors’ pulsating NBA championship run as the rightful Finals MVP. For some, it was the perfect way to quiet the naysayers. But from the way Curry has started out this season, it appears that the 2023 NBA Finals just marked the beginning of a new dominant season.
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Indeed, Curry has been playing like a true MVP thus far. And it wouldn’t be a shock if he cops the award again for the third time in his illustrious. Here’s why.
Stephen Curry’s greatness is flying under the radar
Memphis Grizzlies’ Ja Morant and Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic have been all over the news. However, Curry also proves that he’s somebody who shouldn’t be slept on this season and the stats back it up.
Prior to the Warriors’ game against the Charlotte Hornets, Curry has already scored 154 points in five games. He’s averaging 30.8 points per game and is fifth in the current season’s league leaders. And while six assists per outing isn’t that too impressive for a point guard, Curry tops all Golden State’s bigs as he’s the second best rebounder in the team with six boards per game.
Golden State Warriors getting elite three-point shooting from Curry
As far as three-point shooting goes, Curry doesn’t need further introduction. Barring his almost season-long hand injury, Curry’s three-point accuracy never dipped lower than 38% last season. And prior to the Hornets game, Curry has been shooting at a career-best 45.8% from beyond the arc.
Curry has already drilled 27 three-pointers in his 59 attempts and is unsurprisingly leading the NBA in treys made thus far. He finished the past post-season as the most consistent three-point shooter among all Warriors backcourts and he’s the team’s best in that category this season unanimously with a staggering 45.8% average to date.
Stephen Curry is drama free
Another aspect of Curry’s game that seemed to be overlooked is his resilience, especially on off-the-court drama. Many believed that the Warriors would be somehow derailed following the infamous Draymond Green vs. Jordan Poole fight en route to the new season. However, Curry stayed composed as he knew that his role is to be the leader of the group.
“My job is to maintain the joy, have perspective, but also the expectation that we can get through it. There were some hard days. There could be some hard days coming, you know, you just have to be able to deal with reality as it is. And that’s kind of my job as, you know, leader of the team.”
– Via CBS Sports
Judging from how well he plays given the Green-Poole situation, Curry is proving to everybody that he’s got that MVP-level of maturity and winning mentality.
All told. the season has just begun, but as early as now, Curry is already hinting at an MVP is supposed to be playing.