A down year for Stephen Curry is a year so good that a majority of NBA players couldn’t even dream of it. This season, Curry is shooting “just” 40.4 percent from three-point range. It’s the lowest mark of his career, but an elite shooting percentage nevertheless. As every superstar is, Curry has been put under the microscope by fans and media this season. Curry laughs at those who say that he’s having a subpar year, he told Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding:
“I think it’s comical that people were saying I’m having a down year,” Curry said. “To go black and white and say I’m not having as good a season as I was having last year based on just five points a game or shooting percentage or whatnot…there are other things that you try to do other than just the eye test to try and help your team win. This year has taught me that, for sure. The accolades and the attention and all that stuff, the hype is cool. But it’s really how you feel about your own game.
“And I can wake up every day and be like, ‘I know what I’m trying to accomplish; I know I’m going to get better.’ I know when I don’t play well and how mad I get at myself. I know when I do play well and how I want to keep that going. Same approach as I had last year.
“Just five fewer points a game. Who cares?”
A large part of Curry’s (slightly) reduced offensive role can be attributed to the addition of four-time NBA scoring champion Kevin Durant:
“With the roster that we have and adding a guy like KD, there’s obviously going to be more of a balanced attack,” Curry said. “It’s pretty clear how that’s kind of evolved over the course of the season. My job as the point guard of this team is to balance all the talent that we have, plus at the same time staying aggressive with my own game.
Since Durant suffered his MCL sprain and bone bruise, Curry has averaged 26.5 points and 7.5 assists per game on .468/.406/.897 shooting splits. Curry was named Western Conference Player of the Week for the week of Mar. 27 through Apr. 2.
Durant is expected to return on Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans.
