Thursday, January 15, 2015

TWD's Player of the Week (Week 11 2014)

Stephen Curry, GS PG, SG 

.500 FG%, 1.000 FT%, 21.0 PTS, 2.7 3PM, 4.3 REB, 10.3 AST, 3.3 STL, 0.0 BLK, 2.7 TO, 2.7 PF 

Curry is now in the rare air with the likes of LeBron James, which is probably why Curry’s jersey sales have risen to second in the NBA behind James. 

The renown shooter has found new ways to terrorize defenses and carry the Warriors. The multiplicity of ways in which he affects games is making him an MVP favorite despite not being quite as money as he normally is with his outside shot. 

Curry’s 3-point percentage may be down. But his game is up. 

The San Francisco Guard was on the verge of a 50/40/100 line last week with 53 percent of his looks from the fiel, drilling 39.7 percent of his deep tries and connected on 100 percent of his shots at the stripe. He tied his season-high of 15 dimes against the Pacers on Wednesday, adding his sixth 20-10 game of the season. Curry's in complete control of the NBA's highest-scoring offense and the Warriors have the best record in the league. 

The Charlotte native once deemed to be an overhyped shooter has become a well-rounded star. Most analysts and fans would have been fine if Curry just cut down his turnovers. 

He’s done that, getting his average down to 3.2 per game from 3.8 last season. It would be nice if Curry could eventually work into the twos, but his style of offensive production requires him to take risks, and the Golden State Warriors will surely take the bad with the overwhelming amount of good. 

But his growth isn’t just offensively. The strides Curry has made on defense are just unreal. 

He not just is holding his own. He has become a game changer. He has morphed from a defensive liability last season to one of the most impactful guards on that end of the court. He leads the NBA in steals largely because of his success sneaking up on big men and reading passing lanes. 

It’s been a long road to this point, but Curry’s name belongs among the elite. Others are better than him in specific areas. But when you’re naming the total packages in the league, you can’t do so without naming Curry.