What Seth Curry Brings to the Golden State Warriors

Mar 24, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Seth Curry (30) celebrates making a basket during the second half against the Creighton Bluejays during the third round of the NCAA basketball tournament at Wells Fargo Center. Duke defeated Creighton 66-50. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

There’s a new Splash Brother in town. The Golden State Warriors signed Seth Curry, Stephen Curry’s younger brother, to a non-guaranteed contract on August 23rd, which happened to be his birthday. Curry went undrafted out of Duke University. Since his contract is non-guaranteed, he will have to earn his spot onto the active roster, but there’s a good chance he will be able to grab one of those final roster spots.

Even if Curry makes the final roster, it’s unclear how many minutes, if any, he’ll play this upcoming season. Curry could end up playing with the Santa Cruz Warriors for parts or the majority of the season, like what the Warriors did with Kent Bazemore during last season. If Curry gets any playing time, it will most likely be in garbage time when the Warriors have a significant lead or are down by a large amount.

Regardless of how many minutes Curry plays for the Warriors this season, he provides a skill that any NBA team could use. He’s an incredible shooter, just like his brother. In his final season at Duke, Curry averaged 17.5 points on 46.5 percent shooting from the field and 43.8 percent shooting from three.

He was able to shoot this well despite having a stress fracture in his right shin. He sat out almost all of Duke’s practices, so he could rest, not risk further injury, and conserve his energy for games. After successful surgery and rehab on his shin, Curry is ready to play basketball again and help out the Warriors in any way he can.

“I’m an established shooter who can come in right away and not go through an adaption period to the NBA,” Curry said. “I’ve been around this game my whole life. I can come in right away and fill a need. It helped that I spent four years in college, too.”

Curry’s biggest strength is obviously his shooting. He can shoot from anywhere on the floor, and he can create his own shot too. He’s not just a catch-and-shoot player. He’s not super quick or athletic, but he finds ways to get to the basket. The Warriors don’t have many three-point shooters on their bench, so Curry’s pinpoint shooting could certainly make him a valuable asset to this team.

Mar 9, 2013; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Seth Curry (30) shoots in the first half at the Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

There are a few areas in which he can improve though. He became a better defender over his college career, but he can still improve. He could also improve on rebounding. Curry only averaged 2.5 rebounds last season at Duke. He’s only 6’3″, so he’s not expected to rebound like David Lee. However, he could earn more playing time if he crashes the boards more. Also like his brother, he could bulk up a little more. This would help him rebound more too.

The biggest part of Curry’s game that he can improve on is his playmaking ability. As mentioned before, Curry is 6’3″, so he’s a little small for a shooting guard, which is his primary position. Curry is a combo guard, but he didn’t get much experience playing point guard at Duke. He played point guard for parts of his junior season, but he’s naturally more of a shooting guard, so he ended up playing the majority of his minutes at that position.

Last season at Duke, Curry averaged only 1.5 assists. If he wants to earn more minutes with this Warriors team, he has to work on his playmaking. With the additions of Toney Douglas and Nemanja Nedovic, Curry won’t be expected to be the primary point guard, but, by learning to get his teammates involved more, it will make him more of a versatile player.

Since he’s such a good three-point shooter, defenders will likely try to chase him off the three-point line. If he added a pump fake to his game, he could then drive to the basket and swing the ball out to an open teammate. Stephen has mastered this skill, and if Seth can learn this from his brother, he could become a valuable asset to this team.

Seth Curry is somewhat of a long-term project for the Warriors. However, he will be worth the wait. He’s a hard worker, he’s passionate, and he’s determined to get better and learn as much as he can. He’s also extremely close to Stephen, and those two will push each other to be better. Plus, having Seth on the team is certainly a big marketing opportunity for the Warriors.

The newest Splash Brother is in town, and he’s going to do everything he can to make a splash with the Warriors.