Stephen Curry has to make some serious adjustments at the start of the season to adapt to his new teammates. If he sometimes seemed overwhelmed, he also showed very beautiful things during the two victories of his team. But for an analyst, no matter what the numbers say, he’s not the same player anymore.
The last time that Stephen Curry played a full season, it was alongside Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and especially Kevin Durant, potentially the best player on the planet at the time. But after a season marked by a broken wrist and an interruption for health reasons, the Chef returns to a totally different team.
Klay Thompson will not play for the season due to a ruptured Achilles tendon, Kevin Durant is he in Brooklyn with Kyrie Irving to the conquest of a title, and finally Draymond should return to the competition within a few days after a rather embarrassing injury.
Suddenly, the Chef finds himself evolving with Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre, two big disappointments at the start of the season, Juan Toscano-Anderson or Eric Paschall, and rookie James Wiseman. According to Zach Lowe, this abrupt change affects not only the results of the franchise, but also the level of Curry. He explained himself in his podcast.
When Stephen Curry starts to move without the ball, he remains effective and always will be, because he is the greatest shooter in history. But the reason he was even stronger before was because he posed screens for good passer and smart players. How many times has he and Klay combined to panic the defenses?
When the Splash Brothers landed screens, it was impossible to know what to do to defend. Today, when Curry sets a screen for Andrew Wiggins, a defender forces the pass, and possession dies. The level of the Warriors does not only affect the results, but also the level of Steph. He’s still good, but he’s not the same as before.
When Stephen Curry spoke of a lack of collective intelligence in the field, that’s probably what he was talking about. His new teammates do not yet understand how to serve him in the best conditions, which obviously affects his performance. But beware, he is still dangerous with 26.5 points and 7 assists on average during the first 4 meetings!
Stephen Curry just has to hope that the return of Draymond Green will be a game-changer. With a passer of this talent, he will be able to excel again without a ball!
