2018 NBA free agency grades: Blazers to sign Seth Curry

The Portland Trail Blazers are bringing aboard the sharpshooting Seth Curry. Is it a good signing? How will he fit in with the rest of the team?

In the wake of Shabazz Napier‘s imminent departure, the Portland Trail Blazers are set to add more guard depth. ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday afternoon that the Blazers and combo guard Seth Curry have agreed to terms on a two-year deal. Curry will receive $2.8 million in 2018-19 and the second year is a player option.

Curry is the son of former NBAer Dell Curry and the younger brother of Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry. He went undrafted in 2013 out of Duke, but worked his way into becoming a starting-caliber sharpshooter. Curry comes to Portland after two seasons with the Dallas Mavericks. He had a career year in 2016-17, averaging 12.8 points, 2.7 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game in 70 appearances.

Unfortunately, injury derailed his 2017-18 season. On Oct. 7, 2017, the Mavs ruled Curry out indefinitely due to a stress reaction in his left tibia.  Once it was the determined that his injury would require surgery, the team finally shut him down for the season on Feb. 6.

With this new agreement, Portland is about to acquire an underrated offensive weapon. Curry can create his own shot, as he generated 0.99 points per possession as a pick-and-roll ball handler (89th percentile) and 1.09 points per possession on isolation plays (93rd percentile).

However, he is also dangerous off the ball. Curry generated 1.13 points per possession on spot-up opportunities (82nd percentile) and 1.24 points per possession on off-screen plays (93rd percentile).

Like his father and brother, Seth Curry is a potent perimeter shooter. He is a career 43.2 percent shooter from beyond the arc, knocking down 42.5 percent of his 3s in 2016-17. Portland sorely needs this type of reliable outside scoring. The Blazers have also added Gary Trent Jr. and Nik Stauskas as long range weapons on the wings. This will surely help to space the floor and take some of the defensive heat off of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum.

At this juncture, it seems Curry will take at least a majority of the available minutes in the Blazers rotation Napier used to fill. For most of the year, he will likely back up McCollum at the 2. However, assuming he’s in good health, Curry could pick up some point guard minutes as the rotation tightens later in the year.

Curry is also a passable defender despite being 6’2″. He finished the 2017 season with a 105.6 defensive rating, 214th-best in the NBA. He also finished with a 0.01 Defensive Real Plus-Minus that year, good for 215th in the league.

Diving deeper, Synergy Sports indicates that he conceded 0.908 points per possession in 2016-17, putting him in the 52nd percentile. He is particularly adept at defending pick-and-roll ball handlers, allowing 0.74 points per possession (79th percentile). However, he struggles as an off-ball defender. Curry gave up 1.01 points per possession on spot-up plays (48th percentile) and 1.31 points per possession on off-screen plays (eighth percentile).

Seth Curry is a solid get for Portland. He gives the Blazers another reliable sharpshooting option off the bench, but he’s also capable of creating his own offense. Coming off of a lost season due to left tibia issues and surgery, it’s fair to worry about how healthy he’ll be this year. However, if he can stay on the court, he will be of great value to the team.

With LeBron James set to join the Los Angeles Lakers and DeMarcus Cousins on the way to the Warriors, it’s more important than ever for the Blazers to have a well-rounded roster as they set out to compete in the Western Conference in 2018-19.

Next: 2018 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far

Grade: B