Does Stephen Curry have anything to prove this season?

Having spent the last few seasons in basketball heaven, Stephen Curry now stares down a challenge he’s never before encountered.

Since entering the NBA back in 2009, Stephen Curry‘s career has taken him places few if any have ever gone before. He’s got multiple 3-point records in hand with more on the way along with the only unanimous MVP trophy in league history.

Unlike many of today’s title contenders, Curry didn’t have to go elsewhere in pursuit of the ultimate goal. The foundation of success for the Golden State Warriors has been by his side for quite some time now.

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When it came time to tweak the roster, the necessary adjustments came to him.

Suffice to say that after an injury-filled start to his NBA tenure, Curry’s been on Cloud Nine since the arrival of Steve Kerr. Success seemed inevitable, even if exterior circumstances got in the way at times.

The results were an accumulation of awards and accomplishments that have Steph among the greatest to ever man the point guard position.

Heading into the 2019-20 campaign, a new challenge awaits. Kevin Durant is gone, as are bench staples Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston while Klay Thompson is on the mend from a torn ACL.

Bob Myers did the best he could to restock the pantry, but the certainty of Golden State’s greatness has diminished, leaving Curry to pick up the pieces as best he can.

Steph is unequivocally one of the 10 best basketball players in the league and arguably the best at his position. Yet there’s a small fraction of the NBA population that refuses to give him his dues on the basketball court for illogical reasons.

In the present day, adding context has become prevalent when examining both wins and losses. It’s not just about the final tally of any given game or even an NBA Finals, but what factors ultimately played a role.

It’s for that very reason the dominance of the Warriors has worked against Curry since Durant arrived in the summer of 2016.

He may be the engine that drives Golden State, but Steph’s level of productivity doesn’t always directly tie into his team’s success the way it should for a player of his stature.

Comforted by arguably the greatest assemblage of talent in league history, he’ been afforded a luxury few have ever had.

It’s worked out great for his trophy case with three championship rings, but without a single Finals MVP to go along with them, many are quick to knock Curry down a peg in favor of those who are forced to operate with less around them.

This isn’t to suggest Curry can’t combine both individual and team greatness in ways similar to the likes of LeBron James and James Harden, but we don’t judge players on what-if scenarios.

The reality is he’s never been forced to carry such a load ever before until forces outside his control turned the tables on the coming season.

When the 2019-20 campaign tips off, Curry will be the sole focus of every defense that comes to face the Warriors.

The recently acquired D’Angelo Russell will help ease what is sure to be a tremendous offensive burden, but his acclimation into the Dubs’ style of play is something he’ll first have to work on to fully be trusted by Kerr.

There won’t be another player opponents are giving equal attention to for fear of having 40 dropped on their heads.

His Splash Brother, who causes frenetic chaos darting around screens, won’t be back until the start of the new year at the earliest, and who knows what he’ll be able to bring to the table right away.

Whatever happens to Golden State this season rests largely on the shoulders of the sub-200 pound super sniper. It’s easy to look good surrounded by those who can quickly make others forget when you’re not.

It becomes an entirely new challenge in their absence, especially from a player who lacks a traditional NBA frame that comes in handy against the level of physicality he is sure to face.

Curry’s got a list of accolades that assures him a spot in the Hall of Fame once he calls it quits. He’s already widely regarded as the greatest shooter to ever live and is on pace to obliterate the all-time 3-point record.

His place among the legends is comfortably set with a legacy that will stand the test of time.

Steph will tell you he blocks out the noise of those who doubt him, but there has to be a part of his brain that harbors every bit of it.

After all, whatever people think he may have to prove is nothing more than a fabricated narrative based on the idea that he should somehow make the game harder for himself having lucked into an ideal environment.

It’s unfair criticism for a guy whose basketball situation is one every star player dreams of, and yet the coming season provides exactly what some have yearned for.

If there ever was a chance to clip those annoying little twigs off a pristine tree, the time will come for Curry with a showing that proves his greatness independent of his surroundings.