Golden State Warriors: Stephen Curry Ready To Lead
By Ben Woodward
When Stephen Curry returns to the Golden State Warriors he’ll be looked at just a bit differently by the rest of the NBA. Fresh off a coming-out performance at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain, his colleagues and coaches are all keenly aware that he can shoot the basketball.
The hot-handed guard from Charlotte, North Carolina has gone on a wild transformation over the past two years.
Stephen Curry went from being known as just a skinny point guard with a nice shooting stroke, to an All-Star caliber player who can lead Team USA to a FIBA gold medal. He can also lead the Golden State Warriors to a deep Western Conference playoff run in 2014-15.
In Team USA’s recent 86-63 victory over Mexico in the FIBA Basketball World Cup, the US squad advanced to the next round, now set to face Slovenia.
Live Feed
Blue Man Hoop
One critique of the USA team I kept seeing on social media towards the beginning of the tournament is that they lack international experience. With the wins piling up, there’s really not much left in the way of criticism. This young squad has plenty of talent and skill to be extremely successful in international competition, and Stephen Curry has proven he will be the leader of the team going forward.
At 26 years old, Steph is one of the elder statesmen on the roster. He’s also arguably the best shooter and most important player on offense for Team USA. Averaging a crisp 50 percent from beyond the shortened international three point line, Steph can literally score just about anywhere inside half court.
In the most recent game against Mexico, Stephen Curry put on a ridiculous display of three-point shooting. Making six from deep and notching a total of 20 points for the game, Steph was in a zone that only he can hit. He led the USA team in scoring, three pointers made, and minutes played.
His court vision has been crucial. And just when you think you have to check the lane for the cutting Anthony Davis that Steph may be looking to lob an alley-oop to, you have to deal with this:
In the 2010 FIBA World Cup, Kevin Durant established himself as one of the most elite players in the world when he led a very strong American team to a gold medal finish over Turkey. In the following 2010-11 NBA season, Durant further contributed to his resume by leading his Oklahoma City Thunder to the Western Conference Finals. Durant also won the NBA’s scoring title that season.
I believe Stephen Curry can see relatively similar success. After his emerging leadership role in the international tournament, Curry can now return home as the clear cut leader of the Golden State Warriors. He’ll be playing in an improved offensive system under Steve Kerr, who will be employing a motion-based playbook that should let Steph run wild with his point-scoring.
“He’s one of the greatest shooters in the game, and when he gets going, it’s lights out.” – Demar Derozan
Earlier in the offseason, I predicted Stephen Curry could be in for a 25 PPG year with the Golden State Warriors. I think that’s even more in the realm of possibility now.
Curry is showing he can lead a team full of very young, skilled players on this FIBA roster. When they all go home in a few weeks, they’ll be the best players on their respective NBA rosters. Running the offense on a team like that is a difficult task for Curry, and he’s handled it like a pro. The bottom line is Warriors fans should be really excited about the performance Steph is putting on in Spain right now.
Demar Derozan told NBA.com just what every Golden State Warriors fan wants to hear about their prized point guard: “He’s one of the greatest shooters in the game, and when he gets going, it’s lights out.”