Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry is the toast of the NBA. What he’s doing right now stands as one of the most amazing spectacles we have ever witnessed around the Association.
And while some old-timers might not want to give Curry the credit he surely deserves, those in tune with today’s game understand full well that we are witnessing history.
Coming off a seven-game road trip that saw him average 35 points per game, Curry and the Warriors find themselves in the midst of a historical season.
Let’s check in 10 amazing stats from Curry’s 2015-16 campaign up to this point.
1. Now holds all three top spots for most three-pointers made in a single season
By virtue of tying a NBA record with 12 threes made in a single game in his ridiculous performance against Oklahoma City on Saturday, Curry broke the single-season record for most treys in Association history — a record he first broke in 2012-13 before besting again last season.
Curry’s 288 three-pointers made this season is 19 more than any other player has made in a single year. He enters the week still having 24 more games to play (29.2 percent of the season).
2. Curry boasts a .643 effective field goal percentage this season
Second on the list (minimum five field goals made per game) is Kevin Durant at .572. Effective field goal percentage takes into account three-pointers made in addition to the normal field goal.
It places more value on a three and then equates the overall production in comparison to if a player only hit twos.
The formula is simple, and it represents a new analytic tilt in the basketball world. The idea is rather simple.
Three-pointers are/should be valued more. If you hit on 33 percent from beyond the arc, your effective field goal percentage is near 50.
Here’s the formula: (Field goals made + (0.5 x three-pointers made) / field goals attempted
Curry is hitting on a ridiculous 46.8 percent of his three-pointers. That’s an effective field goal percentage (equivalent of him hitting 70 percent of his two-pointers).
3. In his 51-point performance against Orlando on Thursday, Curry attempted one free throw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79BVHcEHK54
Just think about how ridiculous this stat is. Curry took 27 shots, made 20 of them (10 from behind the arc).
Despite attempting one free throw, Curry still averaged 1.89 points per shot. His effective field goal percentage in the game stood at .925. That number was for an ENTIRE game.
4. Stats from the past four games
Let’s stink our minds into these stats for a second. Over the past four games, Curry has made 33 three-pointers. Not only is he shooting 61 percent from distance over this span, his effective field goal percentage during this four-game span stands at .769.
Now that some of the advanced stats are out of the way, let’s look at some simple numbers here. Curry’s averaging 43.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists in these four games.
This means that Curry has contributed (directly or indirectly) in nearly 23 made field goals per outing during this span.
What’s even more amazing here, Curry’s 43.8 average represents 37 percent of the Warriors’ total points in these four games. Realizing that Golden State itself is averaging 117.8 points during this span, this is an insane stat.
5. Curry would still be averaging 20.4 points per game without having made a two-pointer this year
This one takes a little thinking, but is still rather ridiculous. Curry has made 289 two-point attempts this season. That’s one more than the 288 three-pointers he’s nailed. Add in the 276 the MVP has made from the charity stripe, that’s a total of 1,140 points on shots other than basic two-pointers.
Divide this number by the amount of games Curry has played (56), and it means that he is averaging 20.4 points per game on shots other than two-pointers.
This would tie him with Brook Lopez as the 20th highest-scoring player in the Association. That’s just absurd.
6. Curry is averaging 1.54 points per shot this season
It’s hard to find a real comparison here, as this isn’t a number that’s kept all too often.
To put it into perspective, Jordan never put up more than 1.41 points per shot in any of the six seasons in which he led the Bulls to the NBA title.
While stopping short of calling Jordan a volume shooter, this just goes to show us how dominating Curry has been from a scoring standpoint.
It’s the re-branding of the NBA game that has made Curry’s recent performance so ridiculous. We have to realize that the guard averaged 1.42 points per shot during his MVP campaign last year — a number that Jordan crossed just once in his career.
Add in the fact that Curry has upped that ridiculous level this year, and it’s not far-fetched to conclude we are witnessing the most proficient scoring season in NBA history.
7. Long range
More crazy Curry stats. From 28 feet to 50 feet, he's 35-of-52 this season. Better efficiency than making 100% of your 2s
— Ethan Strauss (@SherwoodStrauss) February 26, 2016
With his game-winner against Oklahoma City on Saturday, Curry is now shooting 68 percent from 28-to-50 feet on the season. That’s an effective field goal percentage of 101.29. Yes, he’s now making up his own math.
8. Curry has made more three-pointers in each of the past four seasons than Larry Bird ever attempted in a year
Bird led the NBA in three-pointers made in consecutive seasons (1985-86 and 1986-87). He hit a total of 172 treys in those two years, 116 less than Curry this season.
In fact, the 835 threes Curry has made in the past 214 games is 186 more than Bird nailed in 897 career games.
In a sign of just how much Curry has changed the game of basketball, he’s hit one less trey in 56 games this season than the top-three players combined for during the 1985-86 season that saw Bird lead the Association in that category.
9. Curry is averaging 0.91 points per minute
Considering Curry has now sat out a total of 17 fourth quarters this season, his Association-leading 30.7 points per game is even more remarkable. That’s over four total games of minutes he’s missed.
While this just goes to show us how dominating the Warriors have been, it also tells us a story of one of the most proficient scorers in the history of the game. Averaging just 33.9 minutes per game, Curry is nowhere near the league leaders in that category.
The Association’s second-leading scorer, James Harden (a pure volume scorer), is averaging 0.76 points per minute. Meanwhile, LeBron James is averaging just 0.69 points per minute.
10. Stepping up when it counts
Curry is shooting at least 50 percent in each quarter this season. Though, his 55 percent shooting in the fourth quarter (56 percent from three-point range) tells us a story of a player that heats up when his team needs it the most.
He’s also shooting at a ridiculous 53 percent clip on the road, including 50 percent from three-point range.
Against the four teams that are directly behind Golden State in the standings, Curry has been truly special. In seven games against San Antonio, Cleveland, Oklahoma City and Toronto, Curry is averaging 34.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 6.6 assists.
He’s also shooting 54 percent from the field and 55 percent from three-point range in these seven games. Needless to say, Golden State is undefeated against these four elite teams.