[ad_1]
OAKLAND – Keep it quiet, for we're only eight days in the NBA season and Stephen Curry does not mind the silence.
Let him do this in peace.
So, please, discuss how happy the Warriors are with Damian Jones' start to his nascent NBA career, the 7-footer trying to prove he belongs.
If you do not know what to do with Klay Thompson missing 3-pointers he'll be splashing any minute now, maybe as soon as Wednesday night against the Wizards.
Keep reheating the topic of Kevin Durant's future or update DeMarcus Cousins' rehab or debating how much to play Jordan Bell.
One more thing: Congratulate Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic is the first Western Conference Player of the Week.
Aim, by all means, take your time watching Curry, who has opened this season by subtly demolishing every defense he sees.
It was two weeks ago that Curry told NBC Sports Bay Area that he believed his single-season NBA record for 3-pointers was safe – at least for now – even as teams hoist up more 3-balls than ever. Getting to 402 requires so many significant factors to go well, he said. Has to be the right team, the right time and the right circumstances.
So how does Curry start the season? By averaging 30.5 points while making 22 3-pointers in four games – a record league for the first four games.
He averaged 5.3 triples per game in 2015-16, when he set the record. It's averaging 5.5 so far this season, it's more difficult than it is at 451. That's a lot more than this one: Curry is averaging a career-high 11.7 3-point shots per game. That will be about 962 attempts, 76 more than once.
Moreover, Curry is shooting 46.7 percent from beyond the arc – and doing it when neither Kevin Durant nor Klay Thompson has gotten warm enough to spread the defense. Curry is responsible for 57.9 percent of the team's 3-point makes.
"Everything is geared towards the right right now," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said late Monday night. "The league is in a good position with a lot of talent, and people are able to show their talent, and that's a good thing."
As much as Kerr can say he does not want his players hunting 3-pointers, and that there is no goal for the number of attempts beyond the arc, he also encourages them to get away from it all. This is particularly true for Curry, Durant and Thompson.
While Durant and Thompson have not found their rhythm with deep shots, Curry is filling the void. And once his teammates get going, it's not as if Curry will stop firing those 25-footers.
It is, after all, an average of 9.9 3-pointers last season and the 11 or so that, if he stays healthy, would be in his break position.
"I'm just trying to play strong, play efficient and consistent," Curry told our Kerith Burke. "You do not know how you're going to get it, just keep your foot on the gas pedal, try to play-make and use the guys around me and try to make them better."
His timing is good. While teammate Draymond Green has no love for the new points of emphasis.
No, he's really, really enjoying this direction because overall scoring is up, and much of the uptick is through production of 3-point shots.
"I do not know if that's the way it's going to be, or it's stacking up with more people," he said. "I really do not know exactly what the cause is, but it's great for the offensive-minded guys."
Curry paused ever so briefly and then accentuated with a comment. Could not resist. Not that he should.
Source link
