The scouting report on any great offensive player makes perfect sense on paper.
It always has and always will.
“Take aways his sweet spots … limit his touches … crowd him on the catch … make him work to his weak hand … be physical, touch him up, if need be.”
Simple instructions.
But it’s a much more difficult application when you are talking about one of the elite scorers and playmakers of his (or any) time, a player like Golden State Warriors star and reigning KIA MVP Stephen Curry.
If there is a secret to slowing him down, it’s a secret that no one has uncovered, a cheat code that hasn’t been invented yet. Because Curry seen every defensive scheme possible and found a way to beat them all.
“He’s getting 30 a night, right?” Charlotte Hornets forward Marvin Williams said. “Last time I checked, if a dude is getting 30 a night, nobody has figured out a way to stop him. If you’re a great player, you’re a great player. I don’t care what era it is … nobody is going to stop you. They might slow you down, but that’s about it.”
In a different time, when defenders were allowed to hand check and the game was more physical, the theory goes, Curry wouldn’t have been able to shred the opposition the way he does in today’s game.
He might not have been able to stand up to the physical pounding and emotional drain of picking himself up off the court after each blow. At least that’s the story some revisionist historians would lead you to believe.
“That sounds like a plan, until you actually get out there and have to try and stay in front of him on switches and off the dribble,” said Chicago Bulls power forward Taj Gibson. “Obviously, it’s not as easy as that.”
Bigger guards would rough him up on the perimeter and an enforcer would always be there to greet him in the paint and around the rim. And since he’s perhaps the greatest shooter ever, he’d get trapped constantly to get the ball out of his hands and force someone else to beat you.
Former Warriors guard Tony Delk, a pint-sized (by NBA standards) shooter with range well beyond the 3-point line during his 12 NBA seasons, quickly poked holes in that argument.
“Don’t let that baby face fool you,” said Delk, who blistered the Sacramento Kings for a career-high 53 points on 20-for-27 shooting in January, 2001 as a member of the Phoenix Suns. “He’s a lot stronger than people give him credit for. He’s solid, solid. His conditioning, his body structure and then being able to adjust. He could play in any era because of the way he makes adjustments.
“I crack up when I hear people talk like he’s just taking advantage of this era, like guys are just letting him shoot. You think guys don’t want to play good defense on him? They’re just getting used because he has so many tricks to his game. He’s got the handle and the range and he’s stretching the floor out beyond 28 feet, which means he’s got more space to drive and the court has opened up to 30 feet. He gives his team another four or five feet to play pick and roll.
“They have more spacing than any other team in the league because he’s got that range. And let’s be real, guys are only going to lock in for four or five seconds on defense, and he’s not pounding the ball incessantly, he’s willing to give it up to get it back and make you work to keep up with him. That’s an impossible task to deal with when you’re talking about a great shooter.”
Defending a great spot up shooter is one thing. Defending a great shooter off the dribble, a great scorer with or without the ball in his hands, is a completely different challenge. It was that way in a bygone era, and it’s true now.
“When you have great shooters, especially guys who can shoot off the dribble, you gotta trap him,” said Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, the NBA’s 12th all-time leading scorer. “You designate who’s going to shoot that ball. Make Harrison Barnes or Draymond Green beat you. You don’t let Steph beat you, it’s demoralizing when that No. 1 guy tears you apart.”
Wilkins said he’s seen it repeatedly, defenders failing to make the commitment to guard Curry in a way that makes things more difficult for the league’s leading scorer and his teammates.
“You have to make a commitment to guard a great scorer, as an individual,” Wilkins continued, “you have to guard him long enough on every possession to where you get a little help, too. But when I see him coming off of pick and rolls and guys are basically trying to stretch him out instead of crowding him, and the way he shoots from damn near half court, they are playing into his hands. If he makes as many of those shots as he has this season, there isn’t much you can do other than pick your poison. You let him beat you from where he’s most comfortable or you get that ball out of his hands and pray that one of those other guys doesn’t beat you.”
Raise your hand if you have ever seen the “prayer defense” in a coaching manual.
As for the “touch him up” doctrine that ruled the day during ‘Nique’s era, well, it’s outlawed in this pace-and-space era. And Curry has proved to be a tougher and more durable player than he was earlier in his career when he battled ankle issues.
And as Wilkins says, “talent will prevail, no matter what you do.”
Still, anyone trying to do what Curry does to opposing defenses, Wilkins insists, had to earn it the hard way in his day.
“They made it harder for you. And you have to slow a guy down just long enough to where you get help,” he said. “Not one time this season have I seen a team trap him consistently. Not once. When we used to play Isiah Thomas, Mark Price, Kevin Johnson and those kinds of guys, we always trapped them. They were too good coming off those pick and rolls. They’d kill you. So we would tell our big guy that we’ve got to trap him and live with your guy getting to his spot and count on the next man to rotate over. And if, for example, Mark Aguirre or Joe Dumars is going to get 50, so be it. You let that other guy beat you. But we’re not going to let that No. 1 guy beat us.”
The only problem with that theory? The Warriors’ “other” guy is Klay Thompson — the reigning Foot Locker Three-Point Contest champion and perhaps the only other NBA shooter in Steph’s stratosphere as a pure shot maker.
Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer had to prepare his team to deal with the Splash Brothers twice in eight days, losing to them Feb. 22 at Philips Arena (with Curry scoring 36 and Thompson adding 27) and again on Tuesday in Oakland (when Curry sat out with a sore ankle and Thompson led the Warriors with 26 points, including the go-ahead bucket in overtime).
Budenholzer, the NBA’s reigning Coach of the Year, spent nearly two decades as an assistant in San Antonio before taking over in Atlanta three years ago. He’s seen the game evolve from the rough and tumble nature of the 1990s to this current era where freedom of movement offensively is paramount.
And he’s not sure that designing a defense to deal with an elite shooter like Curry is any more difficult than trying to deal with a great shooter like Hall of Famer Reggie Miller or future Hall of Famer Ray Allen.
“I don’t think there is anything new or different that anyone has tried,” he said of trying to shut Curry down. “The fact that there is so much more pick and roll and action off of that is to the benefit (of these current guys), because of the frequency of the pick and rolls. But if you’re being really technical, a lot of what those guys like Reggie Miller, Ray Allen and those guys could do coming off screens was, how do I say this the right way … that was every bit as difficult, if not more difficult to deal with because to commit two guys to someone that doesn’t have the ball yet leaves you very vulnerable.
“At least these guys have the ball and you feel like you could do some of the more traditional things, double-teaming them and trapping them, the things that everybody’s trying. Those other guys, technically they didn’t even have the ball yet, and you were still scared to death. So you could argue, in a very technical way, that was just as hard if not harder to deal with.”
Good luck convincing the players in this era who have to deal with shooters like Curry and Thompson.
Williams said the Hornets didn’t have any special coverages for Curry or Thompson when they faced them this season for that very reason. Because while you’re focusing on Curry, as the Oklahoma City Thunder did in that epic Saturday night showcase last weekend when Curry lit them up for 46 points (and a 32-foot game-winner), Thompson drilled them for 32 points of his own.
“I heard Brendan Haywood say it best,” Williams said. “Even when you could hand check all the way up the floor, it wouldn’t matter because Steph is so quick and he can get a shot off from anywhere and still be in his range … greatness is greatness, man, I don’t care what era you put him in, he’s going to make shots. But the worst part is he’s averaging 30 a night and Klay is getting 20 [21.9 to be exact] a night himself. You’re worried about Steph and all the while Klay is burying you. It’s the classic case, pick your poison. It’s tough.”
Those last two words are perhaps the the only and most appropriate two words that should be on any scouting report about Curry.
This week’s Top 10 in the Kia Race to the MVP:
1. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Last week’s ranking: No. 1
We could bore you with more of the numerical superlatives Curry continues to pile up in what is shaping up as one of the most spectacular seasons any player has had. The Western Conference Player of the Month for February averaged a cool 36.7 points on a preposterous 55 percent shooting, 54 percent from 3-point range and 87 percent from the free throw line. Need more? He also averaged 7.3 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.9 steals during a 10-game February that saw the Warriors conquer their longest road stretch of the season with a 6-1 record. Even on a night when he’s not at his very best, Curry made just 5-of-his 15 shots from deep Thursday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he is still capable of devastating the competition (he finished with 33 points for his fifth straight game with 30 or more).
2. LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
Last week’s ranking: No. 3
The drama never ends in Cleveland, or wherever LeBron James might be. He spent two days in Miami this week working out with his good friend and former teammate, Dwyane Wade, and caused another stir with his visit and a cryptic tweets. While other players might buckle under the pressure, LeBron seems to thrive when things are at the craziest. LeBron’s 33 points in a win over Indiana Monday helped the Cavaliers snap that pesky two-game skid and he’ll be refreshed and ready to go tonight at Quicken Loans Arena against Washington (8 ET, ESPN), the team he was held out against last Sunday when the Cavaliers lost and jump-started the dramatics. Forget about the drama and focus on the finish to the regular season for LeBron and the Cavaliers, because the Toronto Raptors refuse to go away.
3. Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
Last week’s ranking: No. 2
The Thunder’s tailspin continues. They’ve lost six of eight since the All-Star break, and Durant called his team out before they dropped their third straight game to the Golden State Warriors Thursday night. He meant it when he said the Thunder are ‘kidding themselves’ if they think they can be a contender while struggling to finish games, particularly against other elite teams, the way they have recently. Durant was talking to the man in the mirror as much as he was to his teammates. He’s piled up an ugly 38 assists in the eight games since the break. His line in the loss to the Warriors Thursday night was a perfect example of Durant’s brilliance (32 points on 11-for-17 shooting, 10 rebounds and nine assists) but also his current struggles (nine turnovers) taking care of the basketball.
4. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
Last week’s ranking: No. 5
If this is what the Clippers look like without Blake Griffin, the rest of the league should be worried about what they’ll look like when Griffin is back in the mix. Paul’s been an absolute monster for going on two months now, guiding his crew from an early season abyss back into prime position in the Western Conference playoff chase. He’s working on a streak of five straight double-doubles (points and assists, of course) and he’s averaging 24.5 points, 10.7 assists and 5.1 rebounds in his last 10 games. Paul will be working on a couple of days rest when he sees the Hawks and their two-headed point guard attack of Jeff Teague and Denis Schroder Saturday night at Staples Center.
5. Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio Spurs
Last week’s ranking: No. 7
Leonard put his wares on display for all the world to see in Thursday night’s win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He finished with 30 points (on 12-for-22 shooting), was 6-for-10 from deep, and threw in 11 rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. It was just his second 30-point game of the season, and his first time hitting that mark since the season opener. As good as he was offensively, Leonard was even better defensively. His ability to cover ground, guard basically every position and still have the energy to lead the way offensively is why Leonard has gone from a key cog in the Spurs’ system to the catalyst for coach Gregg Popovich’s crew. And the best part is Leonard is hardly impressed with the work he’s doing right now.
6. Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Last week’s ranking: No. 6
Lillard had his hands full in Boston Wednesday night with a group of the best defensive guards on any team in the league in Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart and All-Star Isaiah Thomas. He finished with a team-high 20 points but had just four rebounds two assists and two steals. And he’ll have his hands full again tonight at the Air Canada Centre against Toronto Raptors All-Star Kyle Lowry (7:30 ET, NBA League Pass). Yet Lillard always seems to rise to the occasion when another elite point guard is lined up across from him. Lillard will have to continue to work his magic with C.J. McCollum if the Trail Blazers are going to get through this current road trip intact and maintain the momentum they’ve built up recently.
7. Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Last week’s ranking: No. 4
Since winning his second straight All-Star Game MVP, things have gone sideways for Westbrook and the Thunder. The league leader in fourth quarter turnovers this season, Westbrook has struggled down the stretch of games just like his All-Star partner, Kevin Durant. Westbrook is averaging 27.2 points in his last five games, but shooting just 44 percent and a paltry 27 percent on 3-pointers. Losers of four of their last five, including two defeats at the hands of the Golden State Warriors and one against the Los Angeles Clippers, the Thunder’s biggest stars need to do some soul searching about the way they are playing right now. They need to decide whether or not the Thunder really belong among the league’s elite … or perhaps in that next group.
8. Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors
Last week’s ranking: No. 9
Lowry has been on the prowl since playing host during All-Star weekend in Toronto. He’s on an incredible run in his last four games, averaging 32.0 points, shooting 63 percent (38.1 percent on 3-pointers) and 83.3 percent from the line. He’s also averaging 6.7 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 steals during that same stretch while taking good care of the basketball (2.3 turnovers). You better believe he’ll be up to the task of dealing with Damian Lillard tonight when the Portland Trail Blazers make their one and only trip to the Air Canada Centre. He roasted the last star point guard to visit, lighting Kyrie Irving up for 43 points, nine assists, five rebounds and four steals in a Feb. 26 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
9. Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Last week’s ranking: No. 8
The Warriors’ wild ride continued with Thursday night’s showcase win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, their second defeat of the Thunder in five days. Green’s contributions have been steady — he’s averaging 10.6 points, 10.0 rebounds, 8.2 assists, 3.4 steals and 1.2 blocks in his past five games. But his best work might have been the fiery rant he went on at halftime of the Warriors’ comeback win over the Thunder in Oklahoma last Saturday. He’s scored 29 points, grabbed grabbed 21 rebounds, dished out 13 assists, collected six steals and committed just six turnovers in the two games since then, settling back into the All-Star utility man role for the best team in basketball.
10. Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat
Last week’s ranking: Not ranked
The Heat have won three straight games with Wade providing some turn-back-the-clock moments. He’s got some more veteran help in the form of seven-time All-Star Joe Johnson, who chose the Heat after being bought out by the Brooklyn Nets last week. Wade’s mid-week workout with LeBron James at a Miami gym caused a bit of commotion this week, but he didn’t let that drama interrupt his flow. He was fantastic in Thursday night’s win over the Phoenix Suns, finishing with 27 points on 9-for-17 shooting to go along with his seven assists and four steals. Wade is averaging 24.4 points, 6.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds in his last five games and has the Heat in the thick of things in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
Others receiving consideration: Isaiah Thomas, Boston Celtics; Paul George, Indiana Pacers; Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors; DeMarcus Cousins, Sacramento Kings; Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets
