Curry the NBA’s most dominant player

More than one unsuspecting person who dares to look at the NBA standings today and see that Golden State Warriors have won 10 of their first 11 games played might assume they are looking at a standings from seasons past. Perhaps the one from 2015/16 to be exact.

Surely, he’ll rub his eyes and ask himself (and without raising his voice lest he be labeled clueless by those around him) is it true that it’s November 2021.

And before trying to get an answer, he will continue with his questions: is Klay Thompson back to play? Or maybe Kevin Durant is back? None of these questions can have a yes as an answer.

However, the first of them, the original one, the one that raised the possibility of finishing 2021, will lead us to the positive answer irremediably.

The Warriors have the best record in the NBA, they have only lost one game (in overtime and by just one triple difference against Memphis Grizzlies at home) and the common denominator on the court with that team that managed to reach 73 wins in the aforementioned season, has been the dominance of Stephen Curry, the chef who continues to cook his rivals by force of three-pointers and winning shots.

Curry’s exuberance is clearly reflected in his statistics: he averages 27.2 points per game (2nd in the NBA), 5 three-pointers (1st), 94.9% efficiency in free throws (7th), 6.5 assists (15th) in just 33.6 minutes (40th).

Is there a more dominant player than him right now?

If you want an immediate answer, I could end the note right here. But better to argue the reasons why he can be considered as such. Here we go.

1- His one-on-one off-balance is still lethal.

Letting him go past half court with the ball in his hands and giving him a yard of distance can be suicidal. Steph’s shooting range is beyond imagination. Today even shooting from the center logo can seem easy if the ball is in his hands.

There is no one better than him to make the opposing defense spread out and find space to attack the rim freely. Nor is there anyone better at creating (and making his own shot with a high degree of efficiency).

The individual mark, without help, is not something that can stop him. It can’t even slow down his effectiveness.

This season’s season opener at the Staples Center against the Los Angeles Lakers comes to mind: that night he only scored 5 baskets out of 21 attempts (2 of 8 on three-pointers), but finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists in what was the first win of the season.

“I played poorly,” he was encouraged to admit after the game.

2- His constant mobility and reading of the game causes imbalance.

Have you ever seen Curry rest on offense? Have you ever seen him walk the court? Surely not.

From the very moment he occupies offensive positions, his mobility is constant, with or without the ball in his hands. He is permanently looking for the imbalance, leaving his mark on the curtains to have free space and shoot comfortably, something that wears out his markers, who sooner or later, end up losing him.

On the other hand, his reading of the game is admirable because there are very few times we see him rushing shots or making wrong decisions. He usually finds a way to create shots for his teammates by using his certainty as a decoy, or by using his teammates to his advantage.

3- Ability to shoot from distance or attack the rim.

His versatility and ability with the ball allow him to both choose to shoot from distance and attack the rim with the same degree of effectiveness. Opposing defenses know this, so it is a must to double-team him.

Far from being intimidated by it, Curry always keeps a cool head to solve in the best way: if he is denied the three-point shot, cutting to the hoop will be the option to follow. And if on his way to getting two points he closes out as well, there is the possibility that the shooters will be open and he will find them.

4- He is a different scorer

Finding a scorer who doesn’t have a high degree of selfishness, seems to be a rarity in the NBA world. History clearly demonstrates this. Larry Bird preferred to take decisive shots rather than pass the ball, since he trusted his skills and his work more than that of others. Michael Jordan was another clear example, as was Kobe Bryant. Not to mention shooters like Reggie Miller, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant, James Harden to name a few.

But Steph is different. The team is always ahead of his stats. The win is worth more than a triple ten or a 40+ point night. But still, if it’s his shooting that his team needs, he doesn’t shy away from the commitment.

5- His winning mentality

No one better than his own coach, Steve Kerr, to explain what Curry means to his team.

“When I say Steph is competitive on many different levels, that’s what I mean. No more, no less. He finds ways to motivate himself and it’s not fake. It’s real. He wants to win a championship. He wants to beat the best teams. He wants other players in the league to know he still has that desire.

“He’s going to take on the challenge, whether it’s LeBron or one of the best players in the league, or a young guy like Trae Young who’s on the rise and maybe following in Steph’s footsteps. All of that factors in and is one of the reasons he’s as good as he is. It goes far beyond skill. It’s the competitive desire and the belief in himself that he can go forward with that competitiveness.”

Conclusion

Five reasons were given in this analysis.

Five reasons in the face of which, any doubts that might have arisen are definitively set aside.

With a team that many thought could become dangerous with the return of Klay Thompson, Curry is leading the team to the top of the competition.

While there are many players in the current league who are unbalanced, decisive and talented, no one should be afraid to think that Stephen Curry is, this season, the most decisive, unbalanced and dominant player in the competition.