Why is Steph Curry in worst shooting slump of his career?

Thu, Jan 27, 2022
NBA News (AP)

Steph Curry staked his biggest claim to being the greatest shooter in NBA history earlier this season when he eclipsed Ray Allen's record for career 3-pointers.

Perhaps not coincidentally, he has struggled to live up to that exalted status ever since.

Among the many plausible reasons for Curry experiencing the worst stretch of shooting accuracy in his 12-year career, is the toll the pursuit of that mark might have taken on him.

"I don't miss the chase," he admitted immediately afterward.

Talk of where and when he would claim the record began at the start of the season, and Curry made no secret of his desire to get it done and how much it meant to him. Understandably. There was a point early in his career when questions were raised about whether his relatively slender build and fragile ankles would prevent him from having a noteworthy career at all.

Add the mental and physical toll of that spotlight with leading a host of new faces looking to recapture the Warriors' championship form of several years ago despite the absence of several key familiar faces, thanks to injuries and health and safety protocols, and it makes perfect sense that Curry has not been the same scoring terror everyone has come to expect.

At least it does to the man who knows Curry's shot as well as anyone, Warriors assistant coach Bruce Fraser.

"There are a number of things that have played into this," Fraser said. "One has been all these moving parts, players coming and going. The way defenses have guarded him and our different kinds of lineups have affected him.

"Two, him chasing that (3-point) title may have had something to do with it. He was really chasing it. I do think that affected him a bit. There's fatigue this time in the season, the dog days, for everyone. He's worn down a little bit mentally and physically, as most guys are, but I think he takes on a heavier burden with our team."

That burden has been heightened in recent weeks with the absence of Draymond Green with a back issue and the intermittent availability of Andre Iguodala due to a sore knee. Those are two of the Warriors' primary playmakers whose chemistry with Curry has been integral to creating the looks he normally enjoys.

Not only has Curry had to take on added playmaking duties for the rest of the team, it has allowed opponents to focus on him more than ever when he does look to shoot.

"His percentage of contested shots has gone up," the scout for a recent Warriors' opponent said. "He may just be pressing a bit to get it back. He's always been a tough shot-maker, but along with that have been stretches in the past where he can't hit the ocean from the beach. Draymond facilitates so much for them. (His absence) definitely doesn't help. That's probably the main reason I feel Steph is pressing to get shots off."

Or that he hasn't had one of his blazing performances to balance out the less than stellar ones.

"Draymond affects Steph a lot," Fraser said. "Not whether he makes or misses shots but just getting shots in rhythm where he's used to getting them. And Steph is a rhythm player but when he gets going, he really gets going. And Draymond can get him going at times. He's a big part of that rhythm. There's a rhythm and feel to shots. When you know that ball is coming, you're in preparation mode. When the timing is right, it makes a huge difference."

That timing has not been there for the Warriors collectively for a good part of the season.

Overshadowed by their strong start is that their offense overall has been remarkably inefficient. As a team they are ninth in field-goal shooting percentage and 11th in 3-point shooting. While they lead the league in assists, they are also second only to the Houston Rockets in turnovers; even last year's lottery-bound squad ranked better than that, league-wide, finishing fifth. It is their stingy top-ranked defense, holding opponents to a league-best 42% shooting, that has been the catalyst for their 35-13 record.

It's not as if Curry is having a horrendous shooting season, it's simply that it's neither up to his standards nor what is expected from the newly anointed best shooter ever.

Outside of the 2019-20 season, when an injury to his shooting hand limited him to five games, he has never shot worse than 46% for a season or below 41% from beyond the arc. He's shooting 41.6% overall this season and 37% from 3-point range.

Curry, for his part, has refused to acknowledge circumstances have played a role. He is aware he has also been missing open shots.

"Who gives a damn about excuses?" he said recently. "You either make shots or you miss shots. I've got to start making some shots."

The Warriors' schedule hasn't helped. Since the start of January, they've played three sets of back-to-back games and not had consecutive practice days at home, depriving Curry of the chance to hone his stroke.

"It doesn't have to do with Steph's work ethic but our schedule," Fraser said. "And rest. There's a fine line with rest, recovery and getting reps. All those things put him in a place where his shot wasn't feeling like it normally does.

"I was questioning why he didn't have the power he normally has from range, and he was just kind of arming balls, and he couldn't really figure it out, either, until it clicked. He realized that he was kind of shooting balls up on his toes more than ever. Once it clicked, he was on a run in a practice session (earlier this week) and it was the Steph Curry of old."

Even though Curry had another off night shooting from deep - 2 for 10 - in the Warriors' 38-point win over the Mavericks on Tuesday, Fraser liked what he saw.

"His shot was back to what I'm using to seeing," he said. "It was coming out with the right trajectory, right kind of spin and rotation. It was clean, and it looked way more natural. He had a good game and played really well. Had he played more minutes he probably would have had a triple-double. He missed some shots that were right there. So, I think he's coming out the other side of it now."

Working Klay Thompson back into the mix after two seasons lost to injury has not been the immediate panacea for the Warriors' offensive struggles, either. Thompson has been candid about his desire to re-establish himself as one of the league's most feared shooters, but it hasn't happened yet; he, too, is shooting career lows at 38% overall and 33% from 3-point range. The challenge of getting his Splash Brother in a groove has also fallen to Curry, more than anyone, with Green out.

"Steph has had to figure out how to read and adjust to all this," Fraser said. "He's human. Even though he's an incredible shooter, he is human."

Ric Bucher is an NBA writer for AP Sports. He previously wrote for Bleacher Report, ESPN The Magazine and The Washington Post and has written two books, "Rebound," the story of NBA forward Brian Grant's battle with young onset Parkinson's, and "Yao: A Life In Two Worlds," the story of NBA center Yao Ming. He also has a daily podcast, "On The Ball with Ric Bucher." Follow him on Twitter @RicBucher.