The Curry Effect
By: HRD2GRD
There are few players that have changed and revolutionized the game of basketball. Players like Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlin, Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James have all left their lasting imprint. The most recent and possibly the most influential player of them all is Stephen Curry. Is it his mesmerizing shooting ability that the game has adopted? Or his Confident yet humble swagger?
Who is the kid from Charlotte?
The dominant baby-faced assassin that teams fear today, was once a scrawny overlooked boy that teams thought little about. The son of local legend and NBA sharpshooter Dell Curry, it was excepted that he follows in his father’s footsteps. During his senior year of high school Stephen began to get discouraged due to his lack of attention from high profile schools and coaches. He later decided to attend a small university near his hometown, known as Davidson College, there he began his ascend to stardom. He took the NCAA by storm and shattered records along the way. Making him a household name. After a historic NCAA tournament run filled with multiple opponent upsets and reoccurring bigtime performances, Stephen Curry declared for the 2009 NBA Draft.
Familiar Territory
Even with a Cinderella tournament story and even more undeniable numbers, Curry still faced many doubters heading into the Draft. It seemed no matter what Stephen did it was never going to be enough to stack-up against other prospects with the surrounding hype. With Multiple teams passing on the opportunity, when Curry was finally selected 7th overall to the Golden State Warriors. With his lifelong dream of making it to the NBA complete the only thing left to do was…change the game!
He Ruined The Game
Stephen Curry has been credited with evolving the game and possibly “ruining” it. ALL while inspiring the next generation. He has changed the style of how the game is played, as well as the analytical side. The traditional point guards no longer exist on these successful teams. The point guard is no longer an undersized “quickster” that’s only job is to facilitate to other scoring positions. The point guard has shifted dramatically; they are now typically the team’s leading scorer and assist man. The mid-range game is a sort of lost art; teams simply orchestrate their offense around a layup/dunk or 3. A pull-up three from 35 feet with a defender’s hand in your face isn’t considered a bad shot; when a player like Curry shoots a higher percentage from that distance than many players in the league shoot wide-open at HALF the distance. Because of Stephen Curry’s success, the 3-point line is a lethal weapon that is being utilized more now than ever before. Curry holds a record of 14 threes in a game, BY HIMSELF. Prior, most TEAMS didn’t even hit 14 threes in a game. Stephen Curry is an innovator and single-handedly created the blueprint for successful point guards in the future.
Not only is he one of the most dominant players the game has ever seen, but he is also one of the most relatable in the basketball world. How many kids can aspire to be LeBron James; A 6 foot 8 inch 250-pound freak of nature…Not many. But a 6 foot 3 individual with an athletic frame, much more realistic. However, yes Stephen Curry is significantly more gifted than the average man.
Achievements:
· 3x NBA Champion
· 2x MVP (Only UNANIMOUS decision)
· 6x NBA Allstar
· Three-point regular season record
& many more
It is something amazing to see when a group of young kids aren’t pretending to dunk like MJ or Lebron, but rather rainbow deep 3s and dance away like Stephen Curry.
