Empty the Bench

By Andrew Thell

Back in June of last year every player outside of Blake Griffin was subject to the typical pre-draft chatter. Was Brandon Jennings’ head screwed on straight and was he anywhere near NBA ready? Is Jordan Hill anything more than another NBA bust tweener? Could DeMar DeRozan develop the ball skills and shooting range to complement his athleticism? How many years away from NBA caliber defense is Hasheem Thabeet? Is Jonny Flynn big enough for the League? Can DeJuan Blair’s knees hold up and is he big enough to play in the paint? Wherever Ricky Rubio lands, will he agree to play there? Has James Harden already reached his ceiling?

There’s a long ways to go before we can answer most of these, but one of the biggest draft-day questions from last summer is being definitively answered of late: Does Stephen Curry have the size to play the two or the ball skills to play the one at the next level? The answer is, both questions are moot. Forget traditional roles, the kid is a basketball player and a damn good one.

I’ll admit, I wasn’t high on Curry coming into the draft myself. Sure, he was the most explosive scorer in college, but I saw a guy who was going to get manhandled by bigger, stronger, faster and more athletic ones and twos at the next level. It’s happened countless times before and I wasn’t the only one who had those reservations. But those doubts allowed Curry to slip to the seventh spot in the draft, and it couldn’t have worked out better for him. He ended up playing on a team in Golden State and in a free-slowing offensive system that highlights his skills. Don Nelson is notorious for marginalizing young talent and preferring to run with veteran players he trusts, to the detriment of youngster’s development, but to his credit Nelson saw something special in Curry out of the gate and installed him into the starting lineup on opening night. And as injuries have ravaged the Warriors, Curry has become their one constant – he’s become their best player.

What Curry lacks in athleticism he makes up for in creativity, playmaking instincts and a savvy that we usually only see in players several years his senior. Curry plays the game with a sense of calm, flow and purpose like few kids I’ve seen. He’s got a quiet swagger about him, effortlessly slowing or pushing the pace while both asserting his offense and creating for others. He seems as comfortable bringing the ball up the floor as he does moving without it, making heady decisions in both capacities, and good things happen as a result. In Don Nelson’s up-tempo system Curry thrives on the ambiguity of his role, he knows he just needs to go out there and play basketball regardless of if he’s manning the point or off-guard slot, and as he’s settled into that dual role over the course of the season the confidence Nelson has shown the young man is manifesting in monster stat lines.

While the rookie has been starting since day one, it understandably took a while to get into the flow not just at the NBA level but on a team with an unorthodox system and with a prolific scorer like Monta Ellis dominating the ball. Curry had a modest November, putting up 9.8 points on 42% from the field, but he was already displaying better passing skills and instincts than most expected with 5.3 assists in just 29 minutes a contest. It’s been all uphill from there though. In the month of February Mr. Curry is putting up an eye-opening 21.5 points, 5.3 boards, 7.3 assists, 1.6 steals and 2.1 triples while shooting 47% from the field and 90% from the line. Curry has been even hotter since the All Star break, dropping 22-7-8. Forget rookies, there are only a handful of players in the NBA who can match that line.

Despite the sluggish start, Curry is currently fifth in the NBA in total steals, 15th in assists, ninth in FT% and he hasn’t missed a single game. The kid isn’t just a bomber. When you produce like that, questions about size and versatility quickly fade.

Despite the fact that Golden State has produced more wins than only the pitiful Timberwolves and Nets franchises this year, the Warriors are currently 12th in the NBA in attendance. There’s a reason for that, and it’s not just Don Nelson’s bizarre rotations and offensive wizardry. The Warriors backcourt features some of the most intriguing, most fun to watch young talent in the league. Just a few months into his young NBA career, the 7th overall pick in the draft is already the kind of talent who can single-handedly make an NBA game fun to watch. Forget athleticism or size or defined role, we’re already seeing this kid is an intelligent basketball player and an electric talent – I can think of a few teams who are kicking themselves for dwelling on anything else on draft day.

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