Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesBefore you read this, you should know that Stephen Curry is my idol. You may see the bias in this article. However, hopefully you will see the validity of my points as well.As soon as I watched Stephen Curry for the first time in the 2008 NCAA tournament, my eyes lit up. I was just in awe on how good this guy was. He had the same number as me that I wore in high school; he wasn't highly recruited. He was a little guy doing big things and just breezing through the Big Dance beating some of the toughest teams in the country.Coming into theCarolina Panthers jersey
beginning of this NBA season, however, I had my doubts. I mean, Stephen Curry is very small for an NBA player, especially one who might not even be a point guard. Many experts said he would not be very successful in the NBA, commonly using the arguments that all he can do is shoot, he is weak, not very fast, and poor defensively. And even his shooting would not at all be guranteed for him after a significant increase from the three point line to the basket in which many rookies find challenging in their first couple of years.But I also could see tremendous upside in Stephen, maybe even a top three rookie of the year finish. After all, why would I believe my idol is going to be a disappointment at the professional level?At the beginning of the year, I was a little mad. Don Nelson did not give Stephen Curry the minutes he deserved. Every rookie deserves at least 30 minutes a game for a couple games just to see how they do. And Curry was not getting these opportunities.Then, Nelson got smart and gave Curry a little more playing time. And Stephen's stats benefited greatly. He really turned it on offensively scoring over 20 points on multiple occasions for awhile. Many still argued he lacked defensive skill, and the passing ability needed to be a successful point guard (even though he wasn't playing the position of a true point guard).Then Curry's minutes declined yet again. His stats decreased back to normal, and was lost in the hype of star rookies Brandon Jennings and Tyreke Evans.And then, a few weeks later, Curry was given yet another opportunity to succeed. And he hasn't cooled off since.I've been absolutely amazed by Curry's improvement over the season. And I can honestly say that he is a great overall BASKETBALL PLAYER, and not just a sharpshooter out of a mid major school.On the season, Curry is averaging 14.9 ppg, 5.2 apg, and 4.0 rpg. These are fantastic overall stats for a rookie. On these statistics alone, I think it is clear that Curry has made significant contributions to the Golden State organization in multiple categories and he is not just a sharpshooter getting lucky in the NBA because the Warriors' star player is injured (and he's only been injured for like 5 games anyway). But there is more. Much more.After being at times a little bit of an erratic shooter in college, Chicago Bears jersey
it was expected for Curry to be a little shaky in his first year from the arc. The complete opposite has happened. On the year, Curry is 41.6% from the three point line. A very impressive statistic for sure. He is also 45.4% from the field which is impressive considering he has really had to shoot a lot more lately with Monta Ellis's absence, and he's a first year guard.Curry will never be a defensive specialist, not even close, but he has proven that he can stop a man from scoring on him consistently. He averages an exceptional 1.9 steals per game, and chips in 0.2 blocks per game as well. He's no longer a weak spot in the Warriors defense.Curry has also improved upon his ability to take it to the basket, and finish. He'll never be a true slasher most likely, but he has athletic ability and can finish at the rack in traffic. If you watched the rookie vs. sophomore game and his overall performance in the last couple of weeks, you can see that quite lucidly. Also, when he does take it to the basket and draws a foul, he'll give you two points from the charity stripe quite often, with a free throw percentage near ninety.Last but not least, look at Curry's performance in the last two months, he's been ridiculous. Just a couple of days ago he pulled off his first career triple double, with 36 points, 10 rebounds, 13 ASSISTS!, and 36 points. He was absolutely on fire that game, but his exceptional offensive ability has shown in nearly every game in the last eight weeks, not just that one.Here's a list of his stats in some of his more recent games:24 points, 6 rebounds, 15 assists, 3 steals11Cincinnati Bengals jersey
points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, 1 steal25 points, 9 assists, 2 rebounds, 2 steals23 points, 4 assists, 1 rebound, 2 steals15 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals27 points, 6 assists, 9 rebounds, 3 steals32 points, 7 assists, 2 rebounds, 4 steals.If you looked at these statistics without knowing who owned them, you would think it's an all-star AT LEAST, maybe even a Lebron James. At least an LJ with an off week. Don't lie to yourself, these are phenomenal statistics. Over a medium length period of time. And not all of these games is with Monta Ellis out as you probably are guessing. In fact, most of them are not. And all though this is only 7 games, that's still a great stretch, and I'm being honest here, these EXACT KIND OF NUMBERS HAVE EXISTED for about TWO MONTHS! That's just insane! On days (there have been VERY few) where Curry has an off shooting night, he puts up double or near double digits in rebounds and assists. Not to mention he's averaged nearly three steals a game in the last month and a half or so.Curry has proven he can score in many different ways, not just by bombing up threes. He's been driving the ball to the basket very nicely, and has been able to kick it out to guys like Corey Maggette because of his basketball IQ and awareness. Also, he has hit an extremely high percentage of free throws, and although he doesn't get there too often, that stat is only a minor speed-bump in his game that will improve as his career continues and he gets smarter and stronger. He's also proven he can drive and pull up for mid range jump shots.Yet another plus for Curry is he has shown he can run the high powered attack of the Warriors offense. He's turned into a solid leader, he never complains, he's always even keel; he's everything you want in a franchise player. He won rookie of the month in January after averaging nearly 20 ppg, 5 apg, 5 rpg, and exactly two steals per game in 15 games. And like I said these numbers have improved significantly MORE in the month of February. He has averaged 20 ppg in February with three 25+ point performances, 8 apg, 4.5 rpg, and 2 spg. Those are statistics that are setting him up for another rookie of the month type of stretch.And think about those 4.5 rpg. For a guard that's already good, but for Stephen Curry, who's 6 feet 3 inches, and not even 190 lbs, that's phenomenal. This kid is tough, he has ice water in his veins; he can do everything on the basketball court.All in all, Curry DOES have some cons. His strength is a little bit of an issue, his defensive skills are not stifling, and he doesn't get to the free throw line much. However, the strength will improve with time, his defense has ALREADY improved (nearly 2 spg), and as he becomes a bigger name, gets more confidence, and turns into the main offensive threat on his team (aka Monta Ellis leaves), he'll get to the foul line much, much more. And he'll knock them down too. In addition, his positives easily diminish his minor flaws. He has proven he can be one of the league's best three point shooters, with time his FT percentage will creep up to the mid nineties, his slashing ability has improved also and it will only get better, and he has knocked down mid range jumpers like nobody's business. He causes turnovers, he distributes the ball very well for a natural shooting guard, and is turning into a true point guard everyday. His court sense and vision is way above average which makes him a potential future 8 apg type of player. His leadership speaks volume of his character, and he IS the franchise player of Cleveland Browns jersey
the Golden State franchise. I believe right now he is the third best rookie in the league, and he is improving significantly everyday. He's shown he has potential to dominate the boards as a 6 foot 3 185 lb ROOKIE GUARD, and he works as hard as anyone in the league. When given the approrpriate minutes he will excel tremendously, and that has proven as of late. So, when asked if Curry is more of a shooter or a basketball player, the answer should clearly be basketball player. And if you're even smarter, you'll say he has top 30 player potential.
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