If you have ever played basketball, you know the type. The scrawny, undersized, baby-faced kid who exemplifies the saying: "It ain't the size of the dog in the fight; it's the size of the fight in the dog." He looks like your little brother. Right up until tip-off.
Some guys simply look the part. Long and lean. Muscular and intimidating. That isn't Stephen Curry.
Make no mistake, however. He may look boyish, but he is all man.
We didn't know much about Curry until a couple of years ago when, as a sophomore at Davidson College, he burst onto the national scene by carrying Davidson to the Elite Eight of the 2008 NCAA Tournament and becoming the first player to score at least 30 points in each of his first four NCAA Tournament games.
His collegiate career was as remarkable as it was surprising. The son of long-time NBA player Dell Curry, who remains the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets franchise leader in points (9,839) and three-point field goals made (929), Stephen averaged an outstanding 25.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.1 steals per game during his three seasons at Davidson. Still, however, questions lingered about his ability to be a difference-maker at the NBA level.
The younger Curry, you see, had several knocks against him and his game, despite being so undeniably productive, both from an individual and a team perspective. At 6-3 and with just average athleticism, Curry's game was dissected and questioned by NBA scouts, coaches, general managers and fans alike. Can he defend at the NBA level? Will he be able to create shots, for himself or his teammates, against bigger, stronger and faster athletes than he faced at a mid-major school? Is he a point guard or a shooting guard?
Regardless of all the doubts that circled around the two-time Southern Conference Player of the Year's game, the Golden State Warriors made Curry the seventh selection in the 2009 NBA Draft. Approximately two-thirds of the way through his rookie season, it is becoming more and more clear that Curry belongs in one of the most exclusive fraternities in the world: the NBA.
"My best game, early in the year, was against Washington, our first TV game," Curry reminisced when asked by HOOPSWORLD about when he knew could play on basketball's greatest stage. "I played very well (27 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals while shooting 9-17 from the field and 5-9 from behind the three-point line). I felt as comfortable as I had ever felt on the court. Everything was pretty much clicking. It kind of came easy that game, so that was probably the time I felt natural out there, felt confident. It was something to build on."
And build on it he has.
After a solid, if unspectacular, start to his rookie season, Curry has elevated his play (and taken advantage of more minutes due to several injuries to his teammates with the Warriors) and his profile throughout the basketball world. The young man once known as Dell Curry's kid is carving out his own niche in the NBA and forcing his way into the Rookie of the Year conversation as his first season of professional basketball comes to an end.
"He is playing well," teammate C.J. Watson said of Curry. "He is going out there and being aggressive and he's going out there and making plays and playing well, with a lot of confidence. I think he has handled (being a rookie) well. There is nothing too much that we are really asking of him, but he's doing a lot more than, probably, people expected and he's playing well. I'm happy for him."
Probably the most surprising thing about Curry's short NBA career to this point has been the great strides he's taken on the defensive end of the floor, and his teammates and coaches are taking notice.
"I know that (Warriors Assistant) Coach (Keith) Smart has been talking to him a lot about defense," Watson continued, "and getting better at it. And he's taken pride in taking on the better offensive players on the other team and is playing pretty good defense."
Despite answering his critics on the basketball court throughout the season so far, Curry is eager to further develop his game and help lead a once-proud Golden State franchise back into the playoffs and out of the lottery.
"It is an emotional adjustment you have to make," Curry said of the transition from college to the NBA. "You have to stay even keel. There are a lot of emotions, highs and lows, throughout the course of the season. You just have to focus on getting better, not get too high when you have a blowout win and not get too down when you lose five, six straight. We've had a lot of injuries. It is tough to battle back from that, but we're doing alright.
"Learning how to get to the line more, I think, is something that I am really going to try to add to my game next year and over the summer. Really, just try to develop each part of my game."
While Curry has proven recently that he was deserving of being selected ahead of notable players in his draft class like Terrence Williams, Tyler HAnsbrough and Ty Lawson by averaging 20.1 points, six rebounds and 7.8 assists per game in nine contests since the All-Star break, he knows that the key to success in the NBA is being able to consistently play at a high level, rather than simply showing glimpses of what he can be from time to time.
"I think it is just trying to be as consistent as possible for 82 games," Curry told HOOPSWORLD about becoming a piece to the playoff puzzle for the Warriors. "I mean, you're constantly learning things and having to apply them really fast because of the amount of games we play. I'm trying to learn from my mistakes and keep adding to my game as the season goes on. I think that is something you have to do if you're going to be a better player throughout the year.
"You see guys on TV and you know how good they are but, truly, you can't really take anything away from NBA players during the game. Everybody can play. Guys are in and out of the rotation, but everybody on any given night can give you 20, 30 (points) and win a game for you. There are no real off nights in this league and you have to be prepared every game."
Curry has been forced into playing big time minutes by injuries to several teammates throughout the season and, as Golden State has fallen out of the Western Conference playoff picture, a philosophical shift towards the future within the organization.
"We have had a lot of injuries and guys have been in and out of the rotation so, in the lineup we have a lot of young guys," Curry continued. "Teams are still going to come at us because they are fighting for playoff spots and all that kind of stuff, so we have to go out there and just find a way to win. Me, being the point guard, I have to lead that. It is a challenge for me."
And Curry has risen to that challenge in the eyes of just about all of those who once disputed his worth as a lottery-selection specifically and NBA player in general. Warriors Head Coach Don Nelson, who has more wins than any NBA head coach not named Lenny Wilkens, sees Curry's hard work paying off for Curry himself and the Golden State franchise as well.
"He's perfect," Nelson said of his young point guard. "He's a perfect rookie, a very gifted player and just a pleasure to coach."
Just 60 games into his NBA career, Curry is becoming one of the more entertaining players to watch in a star-studded league. But, while he has been able to put up big numbers on an individual basis, Curry realizes there is only one number that means anything in the world of professional sport: wins.
Regardless of what is to come in terms of wins on the court play, however, Curry's play in proving to be a winner in the court of public opinion.
