Photo Credit: Stephen Curry Instagram
Stephen Curry is averaging 24.8 points per game and shooting 40 percent from 3-point range. For many other players, those would be considered great numbers, but his 3-point range is at the lowest of his career, and 47 percent from the field is his third-lowest career percentage. Last year, fans were dazzled by Curry’s play with many even saying he was ahead of LeBron James as the best player in the league (NOT ME). This year, however, fans and media alike have been saying Curry is in a slump. He doesn’t agree.
“Yeah, I heard the words ‘slump’ and ‘down year’ and all sorts of other ways to describe something that wasn’t really a problem for me,” Curry told ESPN. “I obviously hold myself to the highest standard. Still, at this point, I’m not at the numbers I was last year, but I’m not worried about that because it’s a different year. Every shot I take, I have confidence I’m going to make it, and over the course of the season, I expect that to show itself as we go along.”
Curry’s NBA-record 157 consecutive games of hitting at lease one 3-pointer was snapped earlier this season, he also has had an 0-for-10 shooting night and a 1-for-11 game this season.
He’s starting to find his groove however.
On Monday, the back-to-back NBA MVP was honored as the Western Conference Player of the Week after averaging 31.8 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.5 rebounds for games played from Jan. 2 to Jan. 8.
“There’s a lot of scrutiny over something, to me, that wasn’t really an issue — knowing that it will all average out, most likely,” Curry told ESPN. “I try to get better from year to year, so if you survey it from that standpoint just off of raw numbers, I’m not achieving my goal right now. But there are a lot of things that go into it, obviously.”
Curry finds it humorous to suggest he has been “in a slump.”
“That is the one that’s most comical, because if you look at the numbers at that point, in the politest way, I’ll take those slump numbers any day of the week,” Curry told ESPN. “But I know it’s a long year and a lot more games to play. I try not to get caught up in that nonsense. It’s a roller-coaster ride of a season. It is what it is.”
The addition of Kevin Durant has of course shaken things up, and the Warriors haven’t matched their 73-9 season, but they currently have the best record in the league at 32-6.
