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Question of the Week: How Good Will Stephen Curry Be in the NBA?
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December 8th, 2008
by Shawn Siegel
Stephen Curry - Davidson
This Week's Question: How Good will Stephen Curry Do in the NBA?
Recent "college" scoring stars.. the one's that actually made their names in the NCAA like Adam Morrison and JJ Redick have all disappointed in the pros. Even after averaging 25.9 ppg last year and leading his team to some big-time Tournament wins, Curry had more pro doubters than supporters.
His rap sheet goes like this: He's too short (listed at 6-3 but that's exaggerated). He's too skinny and frail (180 pounds). He's not fast enough to make up for his lack of size. He's not a point guard. If you're that small, you can only make it as a point guard, not a shooting guard. He won't be able to defend NBA 2-guards or point guards. His 3 pt % is good for college (about 42% for his career), but he'd need to be lights out from NBA range to cut it in the pros.
With all that said, as Curry has taken his game to another level this season, carrying the Wildcats on his back with a 31.3 ppg, 6.4 apg, and 3.0 spg, it seems like consensus is growing that Curry can cut it at the highest level.
The real question of course, is what to do you think? Post your comments below!
-- Question of the Week Archive:
Dec.2 - Who Will be Arizona's Next Head Coach?
Nov. 26 - Did the NCAA Come Down Hard Enough on Kelvin Sampson?
Comments
Curry
Submitted by FM (not verified) on Mon, 2008-12-08 23:52.
He's got the determination and moxy but whether he can do it in the bigger faster NBA is another story. Of course defense is usually and afterthought so then again, maybe he can.
Call me Crazy
Submitted by momoneymopride on Tue, 2008-12-09 00:01.
Call me crazy, but I really think he'll be a solid pro.. the type of guy who can score 10-14 ppg and have a lengthy career
Papa Del
Submitted by Jeff Fox on Tue, 2008-12-09 09:37.
Maybe a better question is if Stephen will have a better pro career than his dad. Del played 16 years and scored 12670 points - I don't see Stephen being able to match that.
its really papa dell.. true,
Submitted by Shawn Siegel on Tue, 2008-12-09 12:57.
its really papa dell.. true, steph probably wont score 12000 points. pops was a better knock down shooter. btw, can anyone find dell's college 3pt% stats?
To be fair, Morrison had a
Submitted by Romeo (not verified) on Tue, 2008-12-09 11:24.
To be fair, Morrison had a solid rookie season before tearing his ACL and missing all of the 07-08 season. Redick just isn't a good player in the NBA. I wouldn't lump the two together.
Morrison shot 37% his rookie
Submitted by Shawn Siegel on Tue, 2008-12-09 11:29.
Morrison shot 37% his rookie year, played little D, and didn't contribute much outside of some points, and only got a lot of PT cause his team was so bad.. but I agree with your general point that Redick is another level of bad.
JJ
Submitted by RoyG (not verified) on Tue, 2008-12-09 14:44.
its nice to see JJ getting some legit PT recently on Orlando. Stan's been throwing him out there 25 mins a game recently. I dont know why, but I like it
Dell
Submitted by Jeff Fox on Tue, 2008-12-09 16:25.
Right, Dell like the computer, not Del like the funky homosapien.
Papa Curry was 4-7 for 3Pts in his collegiate career - he graduated before the NCAA instituted the 3-point line.
bingo, well 57% as a career
Submitted by Shawn Siegel on Tue, 2008-12-09 16:29.
bingo, well 57% as a career number sounds good..
i watched him play against
Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 2008-12-09 22:23.
i watched him play against West Virginia. He has the ability to make his own shot which i think is curcial in the NBA. Despite his size, he can play some D and still shoots over the taller defenders well. He missed a lot of shots but when his team needed it he put the ball in the hoop, he is very clutch, he will be a solid pro, also added 10 assists against West Virginia.
Curry
Submitted by MIKE on Wed, 2008-12-10 04:33.
I think Curry will be alright if he can handle the ball and run the point. If he's not capable of that, then he needs to be on a team with a tall PG, a point forward, or a team that likes to run'n'gun. My reasoning behind this is so he could, defensively, guard the point guard because there is no way he is guarding a NBA 2-guard. He has the offensive ability and every rookie struggles defensively (unless they have no offensive game and that was the reason they got drafted, which isn't the case here).
Being a Maryland fan, I see and compare Curry to Juan Dixon. Curry will be doing what Dixon has done with his career, and I think Dixon has been under-appreciated in the NBA and should get more time.
Not a bad comparison. The
Submitted by Shawn Siegel on Wed, 2008-12-10 15:11.
Not a bad comparison. The one thing Dixon has that Curry doesnt is speed. Curry's a better all-around offensive player than Dixon was at the time, but Dixon has a leg up on the important speed category. Curry relies so much on crafty moves, head/ball fakes etc as opposed to running you to death. But I do also always get the sense, since he plays so many damn minutes, that Curry might be quicker than we realize but he's saving his energy getting up and down the court.
curry
Submitted by Lushman24 on Fri, 2008-12-12 10:11.
I believe curry can be a good pro as long as a team does not expect him to come in and save a franchise. imagine the open looks he would get playing with a star in the nba. he makes a lot of the bad shots that he is forced to take in order to keep davidson competitive, so without being double and triple teamed and having to run all over the court like a madman to get shots, i would imagine he would have a better percentage.
But then at times i do not think he will do that good in the nba. he is by far the most skilled and best college player in the country. i believe he is the best guard that i have seen at the college level(due to his smarts, leadership, and attitude) as long as ive been watching the game. The NBA is not a place for good basketball players. Don't get me wrong i know how good those guys are, but all the nba is, is 4 guys standing around watching one guy dribble. he will not be allowed to use his basketball iq in the pros, because in the pros it is a game of 5 individuals, rather than a team game.
I was mostly with you until
Submitted by Shawn Siegel on Fri, 2008-12-12 15:00.
I was mostly with you until the end.. mainly because Davidson's offense simply revolves around steph bringing up the ball, telling people what to do, and bombing shots whenever he feels like it (and there's nothing wrong with that, that's what his team needs), but what's mroe NBA than that?
i agree, but there is still
Submitted by Lushman24 on Fri, 2008-12-12 15:18.
i agree, but there is still movement away from the ball in their offense, as well as him moving without the ball when he gives it up. by being able to get his own shot when needed he has proven to me that he can play in the nba, but i enjoy watching him read screens, and move without the ball (his conditioning has to be as good as anyones), which will not serve him as well in the nba when you make a pass and then just go stand in a spot and wait for a kickout. the college game is much more enjoyable to watch, because seeing a player like him play the game the right way makes it enjoyable. when his percentage starts going down is when he must force shots, because he does not have much help offensively this year. i would love to see the lebron-curry connection in two years
btw, nicely done leading the
Submitted by Shawn Siegel on Fri, 2008-12-12 22:06.
btw, nicely done leading the pickem game so far
Rip Hamilton
Submitted by Jeff Fox on Fri, 2008-12-12 16:14.
If you think everyone just stands around in the NBA then I guess you haven't seen Rip Hamilton go to work. Curry can be like him - in constant motion - backcutting, using screens, etc.
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I usually start the discussion off with my own views, but I'm really interested in what y'all have to say and don't want to color the discussion. Post away!