Stephen Curry Stats: Why did the Warriors star drop after breaking a record of 3 points?

It’s been known for a long time that Stephen Curry is the greatest shooter of all time, but since he official became the greatest shooter of all time, he was anything but.

In the first quarter of the season, Curry looked like he was turning back the clock to his unchanging, immortal MVP self. The superstar guard has helped the Warriors achieve the best record in the NBA, and he’s coming up with the numbers that make him the clear favorite early in the season to win the MVP.

Over the first 24 games, Curry averaged 27.7 points while shooting 43.9 percent from the field and 41.6 percent from the 3-point range with 13.2 (!) attempts per game. As a result, the Warriors own a 20-4 record, edging out teams that played behind their All-Star keeper’s play.

Then, the magnifying glass began to move through each Curry game as the marksmen moved closer to surpassing Ray Allen’s record for the most 3-pointers in NBA history.

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The closing game was the Warriors’ December 8 game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Curry was 16–3 points away from overtaking Allen, and although the all-time record for 3 seconds in a game is 14 (thanks to Curry’s Splash Brother, Klay Thompson), there was a buzz around around this competition as if Steph was going to break two historic records. record on the same night.

I think it’s a testament to how excellent Curry is as a shooter. He was impatiently chasing the all-time record and while he needed to do something no one had ever done in the history of the game, people were starting to expect the unexpected and assume that Curry could do it. Head coach Steve Kerr even signed on to the idea of ​​having Curry bury 16 3s in a game to rewrite the record books.

“Absolutely… he’s Steph Curry, so anything is possible,” Kerr stated on the subject that led to the contest.

Result? Curry won 17 3-pointers, only knocking out 6 3-balls to stay away from the record of 10 3-balls. Curry needed three more games after that contest to break the record, finally doing so at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks six days later.

THAN: Inside Stephen Curry’s Road to Becoming the Greatest Shooter of All Time

After he became the NBA’s all-time 3-point leader, he admitted He was relieved that the circus around the landmark had ended, but the shooting woes have been with him ever since.

In his last 18 games, Curry has seen his on-field scoring rate drop to just under 40 and his 3-pointer rate down nearly 8 percentage points from how he was. Shoot before breaking the record.

If you’re more of a visual learner, his 3-point charts side by side before (left) and after (right) explain everything.

Where green means above league average, yellow means average and red means below league average, Curry has fallen well below the range since winning NBA’s 3-point shot crown. As a result, his all-season percentages have been the worst of his career (aside from the 2019-20 season where he played just five games), scoring 41.8% from the pitch and 37.7 % from 3.

To be clear, 37.3 percent from 3 is Not bad by any means, especially at the volume he’s recording. But it goes without saying that there is another standard for the greatest shooter the game has ever seen.

As we all know, the internet is invincible, and someone mentioned Curry’s recent photo shows that looked more like tour dates, which made me laugh out loud.

Just four games ago, Curry was in for another bad night of shooting when he dashed out of his game for a brief moment to play the hero, take out a winning shot to defeat the Rockets. And while you’d think it could be a turning point to getting back on track, he shot a combined 12 to 36 from the field and 3 to 23 from 3 in the next two games following the winning clutch game. . .

Is he really just in this bad spell? Or is there an injury involved?

According to The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, Curry has faced a nagging hand and finger injury, although Slater said Curry himself won’t fully admit it.

“He landed hard with his shooter in Chicago (January 14) and then missed a game. Then, in the home’s first game (January 18 vs DET), he got his left middle finger stuck pretty hard, had to leave. the game was short and he had to record it,” Slater speaking on the Warriors Plus Minus podcast.

He went on to explain that he has seen Curry fidget with his hands and fingers during ring gunfights and that the star defender doesn’t seem to be at 100% even though he is continuing to compete. due to injury, which may have been the cause of his shooting struggles.

However, despite Curry’s chilling streak, the Warriors went on to win, surging 13-5 in his woeful 18 games to claim an overall record of 36-13, good for the team that finished in second place. two in the West and the NBA in general. . Another good sign? He played well in Golden State’s final opening game, sending the Warriors to their fourth straight win with 29 points in a 10-to-20 shootout and 6-10 from 3-pointers.

Curry’s return to his MVP form could be the difference between the Warriors becoming the championship team or not, so he’ll have to redirect his version of himself who mindlessly chased a record 3 point earlier this season to get back on track.