Steph Curry is far more than a shooter
Вставка
- Опубліковано 21 жов 2024
- Steph Curry scored 50 points in Game 7 against Sacramento, but he used 2-point shots far more than 3-pointers. This detailed film breakdown & scouting report breaks down Curry's classic Game 7 of the 2023 Kings-Warriors Western Conference playoffs, highlighting his ball-handling, command, passing, strength and more that have made him so difficult to guard and pressure today.
www.sportsbusi...
Use signup code GREAT DAY for the at $300 off
Support at Patreon: / thinkingbasketball
Book: www.amazon.com...
Podcast: player.fm/seri... or at www.stitcher.c...
Website: www.backpicks.com
Twitter: @elgee35
Ben Taylor is the author of Thinking Basketball, a Nylon Calculus contributor, creator of the Backpicks Top 40 series & host of the Thinking Basketball podcast.
Stats courtesy:
www.pbpstats.com @bballport
www.basketball...
stats.nba.com
-----
Footage in this video is owned by the NBA and its partners. It is intended for critique and education.
Music by csus (instrumental)
#ThinkingBasketball
For the longest time, I heard people say curry is only good at shooting. Now he's arguably the best offensive player in the league, it's crazy how he gotten better every year
He's always been the best offensive player in the league
Hes been playing like this, people just didn't want to admit it.
He's always been the best offensive player. The only difference from 2016 to 2023 is that Curry has bulked up significantly
I've always said that even though his shooting is elite, that's not even his best quality. His offball movement and ability to get open is arguably his biggest strength
@@rishijagtap8593 I mean it depends what you mean by best. Like he wasn’t individually a better offensive player than Lebron or Harden during the 2010s. But yeah he was probably better at helping his team’s offensive than they were.
The biggest change to me was his upper body strength. Defenses liked to chase him off the perimeter and force him to drive where the pressure could bully him.
But now he can slash and bullly the defense. This dude put the work in.deserves the results
His core work has been one of his biggest focuses. Hidden but key to stability.
@@kevinbeach8743 I think he has also been blessed to overcome the ankle injuries. There is not much you can do in that category, but he put that behind him. At one point it was looking like he would go out like a Brandon Roy.
More than a shooter… He’s inspirational 👏🏾👏🏾
@crx103 so inspirational
Sensational😎
glazer
@@deylack hater
Jesus loves yall and may God bless
This is what poole needs to do this off season. He appears to have a high center of gravity causing him to lose balance a lot of the time leading to stupid turnovers. He needs to work on his core strength and add some muscle to be able to dribble through traffic and maintain control of the ball.
Poole said he doesn't lift weights so....
I have faith in the kid, the warriors organization have always been great at developing talent. Poole has so much potential and if he ups his bb iq, starts to tighten up his handles and shot selection, and learns how to be at least a neutral on defense, he’ll become a real star.
Yup, Poole is even worse off than Curry when he was young. Poole has a lot more mental and physical development required than Curry at this stage in his career.
he just needs the ability to slow down and access his options which comes through intentional and methodical practice and experience
He needs to get bertter ASAP, need him now
Just a masterclass in pace and control. It really looked like the Kings were helpless to stop him
The way he played reminds of Magic Johnson, Chris Paul, Luka Donicic, and Michael Jordan, possibly many of the old school point guards. These players have shown that they are masters of controlling the pace of the game. All these players know at any given situation, you have various options to score or pass to create a good shot for your teammates. Steph finally understands at heart that basketball could be played like a game of chess.
he looked like a true POINT GUARD
@@alexnather7614 game 2 against the lakers he became an actual point guard
Curry’s current control of the game is why despite how bad the warriors looked at times this season, I still felt like they had a chance to make a run if the team could stay healthy. It feels that by the end of series (especially in last years playoffs), curry and the warriors just break the other team down and make their victory feel inevitable. That is the sign of not just an all-time great but legitimately one of the 10 if not top 5 players of all time.
Idk where exactly he'd be on my list, but I'd put Curry over Lebron any day of the week
@@nathanx.675facts
@@nathanx.675 right now yes all time absolutely not
@@nathanx.675 🤡
@@mambamentality3141 🤡 Lebron has 4 finals mvp clown
I've said it before on here and I'll say it again, I really appreciate how your videos show even the missed shots. I love it because it implicitly and explicitly emphasizes how much basketball is a team game. In a few of those clips we see Curry make some excellent passes only to have his teammates miss. Missed shots happen so I'm not dogging on them but it provides perspective that stat sheets and the final score, whether they win or lose, doesn't tell you the entire story. Curry scored 50 because he had almost no choice, he was the only one really hitting his shots but in between he was making a lot of smart passes, playing unselfish great basketball, all that was left were his teammates hitting open shots over which he had no control. Showing those clips is every bit as important in telling the story of the game so I'm always glad you guys show these plays.
5:25 I am a Kings fan and this was the shot for me that cemented that Curry was far more hungrier than my Kings to win that Game 7. This shot defined this great Kings vs Warrior series for me.
It sucks that we lost but at least we lost to one of the best. It was a legendary performance. He could have easily got more than 50 points too, but they sat him (obviously to prepare against the Lakers).
I was glad I got to see and watch this game.
Would love to see a vid of Steph’s defensive breakdown comparing past and present. His strength and core has improved vastly since he entered the league. Wanna see where he stands compared to other guards defensively. I feel like people always say curry is a bad defender but really not
^ second that. People don't give him enough credit for how much he has improved on defense!!
Curry had a 47.7% defensive field goal % in the regular season and a 53.7% this playoffs. Still very much a negative on that end.
@@NothingElseMattersJM these are only on ball stats. They don't give a full picture of one's defensive value. Most of Curry's value comes as a team defender that reads passing lanes and knows where to help. In fact, help IQ is just as important a defensive ability than straight man to man defense, especially in today's motion offense.
@@NothingElseMattersJM those numbers are BS. Link the source.
what do you think after watching him get cooked by every lakers guard who looked at him?
Love seeing Curry take on a more dominant on-ball role. The greatest offensive player ever just keeps getting better. Thats SCARY
Being able to evolve your game and be dominant in the later stages of your career is a sign of all time greatness.
Notice how this didn't contain anything regarding his gravity because the Kings decided to not compromise anything to slow him down, and it led to a 50 point masterpiece. It's pick your poison from perhaps the best offensive player of all time (I've been rooting against him his whole career being a LeBron fan)
I mean he was getting doubled a lot still, but yeah most of Curry gravity comes when he's off ball and he decided fuck that I'm doing everything today lol
The Kings this game made kind of the bad choice here because it definitely wasn't the rest of the team in Game 7 that were doing well. I think if Wiggins and Thompson don't start playing a lot better, the Warriors can probably be checked right now by just focusing on Curry. It's gonna be difficult to win against a team like the Lakers who have an actually experienced defense, which the Kings decidedly didn't have.
You can see even in this video that Klay and Wiggins were getting wide open shots from Steph's gravity but kept bricking them.
@@JohnnyBGood-vm7rx klay was 4-19 or something.... if he made some shots the warriors would have won by 30
You can still see his impact, he was face guarded at all times the whole series no matter what. Whoever had Steph, whether it's Mitchell, Fox, Monk or anyone else, they were solely focused on Steph, and didn't help, or even look away from him for a second. That's how dangerous he is.
That play at 5:40 explains the whole game. No one on the Warriors seemed to want it as much as Curry so he just decided to take over. While he has been developing that killer instinct mentality for a couple years now, this was the first true showcase of it. When talking about the goat the most common things people talk about are championships, mvps, stats and that killer instinct. In a top 5 list, Kobe is often not included but we all always deeply respected his killer instinct so he's usually mentioned in the conversation at least. I'd say because that is the rarest of all qualities. Most people who are born with that killer instinct can't develop the necessary discipline to support it. I don't know that I've ever seen a disciplined athlete then go on to develop that killer instinct. It's really awesome to watch.
Really excited to see this Curry/Bron face-off now that I think they are individually more on an even playing field than they ever were before.
And for those who say Bron doesn't have that killer instinct - those Cavs teams were outmatched every year by the Warriors (among other teams.) One of the most heart-breaking moments I've ever seen in sports was game 1 of the finals when Bron very clearly willed his extremely outmatched Cavs squad to a near-win when J.R. Smith forgot the score and didn't put the go ahead bucket in on the offensive board. Bron had that killer instinct through his entire run with the Cavs. And has shown it often enough since.
We are blessed get to see these 2 goats go at it one more time 🙏
Amazing how he adjusted his game from a raw and physical post-up player to a decent 3-pt shooter later in his career.
So true I love Brook Lopez
@@daniellien6704 nice
Facts
Can’t wait for this to happen to bam
LMAO thanks for the laugh. Take my like lol
“Deep down in my stomach, with every inch of me, I pure straight hate you. But god damnit do I respect you” - Wes Mantooth
I’ve noticed over the past couple seasons how he is dribbling the ball with a lot more force than he used to. Even just bringing it up the court it’s driving it into the floor. You’re the first person I’ve heard call out how that’s improving his overall game.
Yeah, and I've noticed he doesn't let the ball bounce as high. He used to let it bounce damn near his chest, leading to a very loose handle. Don't get me wrong, we was a great ball handler back in their first few championship runs, but it was a lot easier to poke at the ball because he let the ball bounce so high. Now he's shortened it considerably and keeps the dribble close to his body. Much harder to poke it away when the ball is being bounced lower to the court and closer to his body.
It’s crazy to say but at 35 years of age I think this Curry is the best version we’ve seen. Yes even better than his unanimous mvp season
- stronger
- faster
- smarter
- better handles
- shooting arsenal gotten more in-depth
He may as well be in his prime right now which is kind of scary to think about but as fans it’s a joy to watch greatness
He isn't faster but everything else is true
You forgot to mention his legendary trash talking. That light the beam gesture was the coldest thing I've ever seen
One of the most dominant pefrormances I have ever seen, just insane.
Steph is unreal.
I feel like Curry learns much akin to an A.I. You feed it input, it leans, and serves. Chef's kiss.
Those one-handed passes reminds me of John Stockton. You have no idea when he's about to fling it past your ear.
Also the floater at 5:19 is nostalgic for me - I was not tall at all but very quick, and the only way to get up a shot around 6-5+ people was to do this type of shot when driving to the rim. Easily my fav shot.
Ppl always say that kyrie is the most “skilled” player (whatever that means) and I’m thinking how is it not Curry. Curry can dribble almost as well as Kyrie, can shoot better, can pass better, is better off the ball, the list goes on and on
Not to mention Kyrie is a much better traditional athlete. Much fast with better hops. Steph accomplished 10x what Kyrie did with less athleticism, because he's vastly more skilled.
I mean I think you are just confusing what exactly most people mean when they say “skilled” because most of the time they are talking about who has the biggest bag of scoring moves. You are using “skilled” as who is the most complete player that covers each aspect of basketball. In which case Lebron would be the most skilled because of how many things he is elite at. But that’s not how people use the word skilled lol
One thing to remember is Curry has been on the warriors his entire career and has had a entire organization on his back. Kylie has been bouncing around for most of his career. I think Steph is better regardless but Kyrie could’ve been extremely dangerous had he found a place that supported him the way Curry is supported
@@LoganNagolThen those people are misusing the phrase "The most skilled" instead of "The most skilled scorer".
@@LoganNagol what's lebron elite at aside from passing and driving?
I feel like the muscle makes the biggest difference alongside experience.
He always seems to have amazing handles, like you mentioned the strength difference & absence of confidence led to hesitation that NBA caliber players could definitely take advantage of.
Great breakdown & analysis
It's like him not being as quick when he was younger has caused him to take better control of the ball
Yeah he started to bulk up right after the 2016 season. Never looked back since.
Having handles in traffic is a whole different skillset. There is one thing to have handles and learning to go full speed to get past one defender. Its another when you draw two defenders and you have to learn tricks how to keep one on your hip (consequently jailing them) while keeping the other in front. In the older Steph playoff videos he will easily get moved around against bigger defenders invading his space on double teams. Now he'll come at the bigger defender with the ball so he can have that momentum moving forward if he needs to split his defender and attack the basket. He added mass to help deal playing off ball and consequently, also made him a better 1v1 ball dominant player with his age.
It's impressive how curry improved every year
unlike a certain player on the nets lol
He developed like you can't even imagine, what a baller!
What a player. Glad to be able to watch him.
It's wild that this might be another prime for Curry
Maybe another 2-3 year run. He's 35 now but we don't know how his body will break down. Hell Lebron is the absolute outlier of an athlete whose still rock solid despite being 38 and having so much wear and tear from his career encompassing nearly 20 years. But Steph will probably still be that dangerous playoff performer by his twilight years of 38.
@hungrycrab3297 Slightly declined not really. He's taking an extra attempt and his 2021-22 FG% is dropping his efficiency a lot. Not including that season, Steph averaging 30, 6 and 5 on 49/42/92 shooting splits at this age. I think he'll average 28, 7 and 5 next year on 50/43/92 shooting splits tbh. He can rest a lot more and make a very deep playoff run.
Its nice to detail the little things that helped evolved Steph's game. During his championship run era before 2019 he was the ideal off ball player but also had to learn the physicality of that role. You could clearly see the fatigue wear him down in the Finals series due to that physicality. But that added muscle and mass helped him out and despite not having that quickness, he made it up with his aggressiveness in catch and shoot situations. You see it now when he gets a pass outside to go downhill and attack the basket to try finish at the rim. Along with his evolved handles in tight spaces, he's become a terrifying high(er) usage guy when the game calls for it. Talk about having that a gear beyond your fifth.
I really feel like people don't give Steph the credit for his full game. He has been criticized for many things, including recklessly chucking bombs but the fact is the way he directs the game and his team is undeniable. He has always been able to finish in traffic at the rim, which is what made his long shot so devastating - teams have to choose their poison.
Steph brought out the Joe Johnson barely of the floor dribble to break down the Kings.
Just incredible!
The shooting is awesome, the 50 pts is amazing, but 1 turn over is unbelievable.
I’ve been rooting for Curry since his Davidson days and to see this level of success being manifested is incredible. No doubt the greatest PG of this era.
Curry's finishing around the rim is astonishing right now, it's gotten so much better
I mean, it was always really good. His finishing at the rim has always been elite for his size, but yeah, as he's gotten stronger, defenders can't just push him off his spot and affect the shot as much, and his newly developed scoop layup package is elite.
@@brandonb.5304 Its not just that. You see in the video the rare examples of his ridiculous hand eye coordination where he's just launching odd angled floaters from 8-9 feet driving out and the ball is still able to go in. That is on some soft touch territory if it was a big man doing that. But you can get the same result with a dude whose touch from beyond the arc is divinely immaculate in accordance to the basketball gods.
Ben I think an entire video of how he played during 2015 and 2016 in the post season compared to now would be very interesting. I’m not a basketball genius like yourself so I’m not going through hours of film, and breaking it down like you, but I think it would be a great idea to tell the story of Steph, and how even all time great players can always improve.
His defence improved so much
What an incredible game by steph and this video makes me appreciate it even better.
Look at Curry man, so inspirational.
great vid! you hit the nail on the head. Mike Brown had the personell to blow up most or all of the warriors off-ball action. I think this surprised Kerr in G6. So the obvious adjustment is to go on-ball. This made Klay have a terrible shooting game since Klay is totally offball. But curry is a master of both on and off-ball scoring. He might still be the only player in the league that does this.
Steph has been improving his game every season and it's pretty amazing when you compare this to the first couple years. His game has evolved into a complete package. He has maximized his physical abilities to overcome being undersized. To be this dominant and demanding all the attention from the other team standing at 6'3/6'4 .. is truly remarkable. Thank you for making this video to showcase his greatness. #StephGonnaSteph
7:12 - in regard to Steph Curry: "Probing around defenders like he has a force field surrounding the basketball." Well said.
What's crazy to me is that Steph is even better now than when he won those back to back mvps.
The player curry has evolved into is IMO the deadliest point guard of all time. The fact that he is double teamed as soon as he crosses half court has always created open shots for his teammates. But now he is actually using that threat more and more to force defenses into tough second by second decisions. I think after he succumbed to that raptors box defense in 2019, he realized he has this hole in his game, and has worked hard at overcoming it. He is now a one man offense!
Awesome video highlighting the difference of 2015 steph and 2023 steph
Thinking, This video is so necessary! SC30 has improved massively in his overall game, and defensively since you did your greatest peaks series!
PS: Imagine if Curry wins a chip this year: You should remake his greatest peaks video, but his peak being 2021-2023. The more mature, scary, collected in-the-clutch, sniper.
I know his playoff samples would stack up much better.
I would argue that the remake of his greatest peaks video already has to be on the To-Do list, even if he were to bow out in the next series. The way Steph plays right now is even more aweinspiring than it has ever been. I don't know if his stats support this, but watching him over the years I truly think that Steph is having his 'greatest peak' right now.
lol the Curry of 21-23 is like John Wick. A semi retired assassin whose older in the tooth but his bag is way too deep. Opposing teams wanna try find out but the more they fuck around and give Curry 7 games to close out, the closer the reality that beating the Warriors in the playoffs becomes an illusion. Steph wants to match baskets and with the price of a half dollar in points, he helped carry his team to victory.
i love these videos, just due to how in depth they get, some of these plays i completely missed during the game. Wow this game 7 by steph was amazing
I remember Curry was only known for his shooting, but as the game progresses, so as his game. It’s also great that having a more defined and sturdy build helps Curry put more force in his ball control.
I appreciate you and your videos. I see basketball in more depth after watching how you break it down.
His ability to drive and finish is insanely underated
Excellent at finishing at the rim as well
It was incredible to watch. If he wins another ring, he is the best Pg of all time.
If he wins? He already is the best PG of all time
Your breakdowns are really incredible. Great work!
It’s very underrated how he’s gotten stronger and gained muscle. Not a big Steph at all but he’s GOAT like now.
Curry's handle back then was CRAZY. And-1 Mixtape on the court. It's a lot tighter now and still crazy but in a different sense. I don't know if I way would say one is better than the other but to each their own. Tough call.
Steph Curry is a master at work.
kyrie has flashier handles, but steph's dribbling is incredibly efficient and gets him exactly where he needs to be, making it arguably more effective.
i read someone on the internet, "kyrie makes basketball look hard. steph makes it look easy." on-the-nose assessment.
Excellent breakdown and very fun to watch. I hadn't seen the game 7 yet and it sadly was spoiled before I came to it, but despite me rooting for the Kings as the underdog, it is so fun to see Curry's masterclass at work.
Complete force with 35 and still getting better. One of a kind.
"Dad, why is my sister's name Rose?" "Because your mother loves roses." "Thanks dad!" "No Problem, Steph Curry is far more than a shooter."
best under 1,95m player i have ever seen. To be such dominant force playing those giants is extraordinary
Bang bang
Steph Curry the legend, a true once in a generation talent, icon 👏👏👏👏
Very timely video. He showcased all of these skills in Game 2.
I remember Steve Nash on his style with a mix of being a scorer, I wish Nash play that kind of playstyle
8:20 funny, that’s almost exactly how you described the changes MJ made to his game when he got older, guess great players play alike
Yea most players do that bro , you wont stay at your peak athletically your whole career , those who want to extend their greatness evolves their games even if they are on an athletic decline , steph being the shooter he is and as crafty as he is he can work around it better than others
Best offensive player off all time🐐
i love the cover page of the video,,,painting so well!!!!
*Steph's trajectory at this pace, getting even better at 35 will allow him to play all the way into his early 40s or mid 40s, best conditioned guy in the league.*
The way you broke this down BLEW MY FUCKING MIND
Two insane things that amaze me the most regarding Steph's evolution:
1. As the video describes, he expanded his offensive arsenal, but his deadly shoot is still right there, untouched. Even MJ, in the process of becoming the definite master of the midrange during the 2nd 3peat instance, sacrificed a bit of his touch at the rim-finishing, while Steph added musculature and pounds yet remains the same GOAT shooter as today.
2. How despite the natural lose of quickness due to age, he can still break defenses and finishing at the rim even better than before.
The trade off for the age and quickness isn't the biggest dealbreaker especially for skill based players like Steph. Ultimately they see the game 3-5 steps ahead of everyone. Plus they are more efficient with their footwork and movement to use up their energy. So they still step and move 'faster' than other players on the court and the defenders trying to keep up.
He's always had good handles. Helps that he's getting away with that off hand push off pretty routinely now.
he really is better than his unanimous MVP season!!! wow!! sometimes i would hope NBA fans would stop and really take a closer look at Steph's game and learn to appreciate it. Just for the love of basketball.
Because he is always in motion, using or setting picks (especially off-ball and weak side-picks), he forces his teammates to habitually see the entire court, and think one step ahead. Infusing a team with that mindset is invaluable.
Awesome video, Ben! Can you publish a special video on Playoff Jimmy Butler?
I've always felt Steph's game is one that will age like fine wine!
My God, that was very well researched and studied, you deserve a million sub by yesterday.
The fact that he plays a bit like Steve Nash isn't an accident. When JJ Redick asked him about which players he wanted to be like Curry's answer was Steve Nash and Reggie Miller. He felt like he had aspects of both players so he modeled his game on them.
I think one reason Curry has been so transformational for basketball is that Nash + Miller doesn't make any sense if you think about it. They'd have been perfect teammates if they could play off each other, but as the same person? Nash was almost a pure playmaker, handling the ball 1-on-1, breaking down the defense with quickness, handles, and brains while Miller was one of the purest off-ball catch-and-shoot artists of all time. One has the ball all the time, the other spends 95% of his time without it. How on Earth could one combine those opposite yet complementary styles in a single player? So when Curry actually _did_ combine them, defenses didn't know what to do. You couldn't guard him like Reggie and you couldn't guard him like Nash, you had to come up with something new.
It doesn't make sense if you think that you have to bring both those skillsets out in one game. But what makes great playoff scorers is the ability to have that additional scoring ability beyond what you do in the regular season. Or the game plan that people already know you for (in Steph's case its the crazy off ball movement). Steph was brought along hilariously by Mark Jackson as a primary ball handler type. But he makes a better version of that kind of player in 2023 than he did back in 2013/14.
Great video, and I don't think the analysis is wrong, but a lot of the young Curry footage appears to be from the 2016 finals where he had an MCL sprain. He might still have been bothered in those situations while healthy, but he was certainly slower in that series than any other in his career
I only saw one 2016 clip. Most of it was from 2015. You can tell because he had that goofy little 'fro in 2015 vs the fade in 2016.
Interesting observations. Great job man
He's indeed more than a shooter, he's already the best offensive player of all-time and idc what anybody says.
Great vid. Time flies I forgot how far he’s game has evolved and still growing
ive been binging your videos since i found this channel. you are awesome
It’s crazy to realize how much better he’s gotten over the years and that game 7 performance was proof of it. Such a fun player to root for and watch
Look at Curry man, so Inspirational.
My 🐐
"Thinking Basketball" and Steph is an instant click no questions
one detail that is impressive is how still his head stays despite all the other movement. seems like that helps him to process the defense and work his magic with the ball simultaneously.
Let’s goooo. An episode. Love this channel
I like how this guy includes footage of "good" missed shots since the set up is still instructive and a lot of these are still good looks.
He is like a good wine, getting better with the time. Great video, I also understand why he's really improved in defense as well.
can't believe he is 35 years old and still moving around like that
Yet another Warriors video wow man
Some of those passes are sick. People think he's not a great passer, but he absolutely is, it's just he's not ball dominant running pick and roll for the entirety of the game so you don't see it as often.
that introduction yo, ypu sliced up his game like a butterknife, good eye mate good vid
Are you going to add your most recent Curry video that’s on the NBA app???? It’s sooo good and you teach me so much!!!! ❤ thank you
Thank you, that was a good video. Not many good videos on UA-cam anymore.
It’s like he’s connected to the basket somehow. I feel like he could beat anyone in a game of horse blindfolded. The guy played with blurry vision for the first half of his career, it’s just unreal
Dribbling through the paint and coming out the other side, staying patient and not picking up the dribble when an opportunity hasn't presented itself, that is definitely "Nashing!" Steve Nash's ballhandling was even more underrated than his shooting. He wasn't just a passer same as Curry isn't just a shooter, even though both are at legendary levels in that skill they're best known for.
The parrels with Caitlin Clark is freaky. But at a faster growth rate even.
Thinking Basketball, BBall Breakdown and Jason Timpf are growing my basketball IQ. Thanks for the great content.