Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry may be an All-Star this season, but he’s had a down year thus far.
Warriors: Stephen Curry gets “B” for first-half of the season
Athlon Sports’ Jonah Kubicek (via Yardbarker) assessed Curry’s production through the first half of the season. Kubicek have him a report card grade of “B” for what he’s done thus far, saying:
“While it’s clear that he can no longer be the first option on a title team, at 36 years old, there’s no realistic expectation that he should be still producing at that level,” Kubicek wrote. “As the best player on the team, there is a degree of responsibility on his shoulders for the Warriors’ lackluster season, although a lot of it could be blamed on the overall lack of improvement from the young players.”
Curry will need to elevate play for Warriors to contend
Curry has led the Warriors to a 28-27 record, good for the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference. Individually, his 23.4 points per game are in the same playing field as the 23.8 PPG that helped him win his first NBA MVP award in 2014-15.
However, his 6.1 assists per contest are down compared to his averages throughout his prime, and his 39 percent connect rate from three-point range is the second-worst of his career, outside of the 2019-20 campaign. From a qualitative standpoint, the Davidson product looks like he could be doing more on the floor. He is not past his prime yet and could see a second-half surge leading the Warriors.
Thus, the “B” grade he received from Kubicek is warranted. That being said, with Jimmy Butler now in town to take pressure off of him, Curry could go on a tear to end the regular season and help Golden State feasibly close the 5.5-game gap between them and the No. 5-seeded Los Angeles Lakers (32-20) in the standings.
