Golden State Warriors: 3 key players off to a hot start in 2021-22

Golden State Warriors players off to a hot start: 1. Steph Curry

Originally, it felt weird to put Stephen Curry here. Of course he’s off to a start, he’s one of the best players in the league! But the fact that he’s once again emerged as an MVP candidate – front runner, even – means that it’s time to put some respect on Curry’s name.

The scoring is one part of it, naturally. Curry’s 29.5 points per game leads the NBA. If he maintains the average, it would be the third-highest of his career. If he maintains his lead on his NBA brethren, it would be his third scoring title of his career, too.

Stephen Curry is also having one of his best seasons at the free-throw line, knocking down shots at the charity stripe at a 95.8 percent clip. That would easily be the best of his career for a full season if he keeps it up.

His scoring is far from his only contribution to the Warriors, though. For starters, Curry is distributing the ball at a high clip once again at 6.5 assists per game, helping to spur the hot starts of Andrew Wiggins and Poole.

Curry is also averaging 1.7 steals per game, his most in five seasons. Meanwhile, he’s hovering near his personal low in fouls and keeping his turnovers per game around his career average. The NBA is seeing an evolving Curry on the court each and every night.

Well, the nights that Curry plays. He sat out Friday’s game against the Detroit Pistons with a hip contusion, an injury he suffered on Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets. He’s played through the injury, so it likely won’t sideline him long-term.

Good thing, too, as we all know what happens to the Warriors when Curry isn’t available. The star played in just five games in 2019-20, when Golden State went 15-50, finishing dead last in the Western Conference.

Stephen Curry has shown in the past that his hot starts set him up for MVP-caliber seasons. For the Warriors to compete for a title, Chef Curry will need to keep on cooking.