Lhe same season in which Stephen Curry has become the top three-point shooter in NBA history and surpassed the 3,000 barrier in his career is being the worst of his career in shooting percentage. Strange, yes. In fact, it was breaking Ray Allen’s record in that game at Madison and beginning to lower his performance from the perimeter. Not that meeting the goal has made him relax. It’s just that the Warriors point guard has been dealing with some physical issues lately and defenses seem to be finding a way to minimize their devastating effects.
Curry is shooting 38.4% of the 3s he shoots this season. A decent record on a human, but not on him. It is the worst in a career of 13 courses in the NBA except for 19-20, when he played only five games and stayed at 24.5% success. It is the first time in his career that he is shooting below 40%.
The data is especially worrying since he got the record. It was December 14. Until then he had played 15 games and had left some of his usual exhibitions. On four occasions he had reached nine triples. He was at 41.9% correct. However, after the ecstasy experienced in the Madison his percentage is 33.9% and instead of some recital he has left performances inappropriate for the best shooter of all time.
In the last four games, he has accumulated a worrying 8/39 from the goal, a poor 20.5%. Against the Heat: 1/10. Against the Mavericks: 1/9. Against the Cavaliers: 4/11. And against the Grizzlies: 2/9. It was of little use in this last game to do a triple-double with 27 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. “The ball just doesn’t go in, but I don’t want to dwell on that too much because I’m not worried at all,” Curry said.
Nor do the Warriors seem to give it too much importance, knowing that any night the version of Curry that usually amazes the NBA will explode. “There will probably be a 10/14 soon, so it’s all good,” reassures teammate Draymond Green. “I’m not worried about Steph, but we can also help him with some things,” says coach Steve Kerr, who now has another outside threat in Klay Thompson.
Teams are running more aggressive defenses on Curry. On many occasions they send a defender to him as soon as he passes to the rival field and they do two against one when he receives. “It’s about dealing with the defenses, dealing with the shots I’m going to make and maintaining confidence”, the point guard recommends himself, who continues to demand excellence: “I set the bar very high and I want to continue doing it. I just have to continue with the work and the results will be seen”.
