Golden State Warriors: Can Curry Continue to Improve?

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Mar 11, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) reacts after being unable to control a pass against the Detroit Pistons during the third period at Oracle Arena. The Golden State Warriors defeated the Detroit Pistons 105-98. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors is taking the NBA by storm and there is nothing anyone can do about it. He is putting up MVP-caliber numbers on the league’s best team and, as a result, he started for the Western Conference in this season’s All-Star Game after receiving the most votes of any player. In addition, he recently released his own signature shoe — an honor bestowed upon few players — with Under Armour.

Two years ago, Curry was a mystery to most of the league. He was the starting point on a decent team and it could be argued that he was not Golden State’s best player. That same year, David Lee became the Warriors’ first All-Star since Latrell Sprewell represented Golden State in the 1997 All-Star Game. Many Warriors fans knew just how special Curry was back in the 2012-2013 campaign, but he was still largely unknown outside of the Bay Area.

However, elevating his game at the perfect moment had a momentous effect on the trajectory of Curry’s career and the state of the Warriors. He followed up a stellar regular season — in which he helped Golden State earn their first playoff birth since the 2007 “We Believe” year — with an even more impressive display in the Western Conference Playoffs.

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He carried the Warriors past the Denver Nuggets in six games and continued to put on performances that seemed impossible to one-up — yet he found a way. It was then, on national television in front of millions, when fans all over the world realized how much the scrawny kid from Davidson College meant to the Warriors and how much better he was than just a sharpshooting guard.

Golden State knew how good he was long before then. The ever-supportive fans of the Warriors could see the potential, too; but it was this series that gave birth to the Curry the league knows and loves now; this series popularized his stop-at-the-three-point-line-on-a-fast-break-and-shoot move, which is now commonplace; Golden State’s defeat of the Nuggets publicized Curry’s ball-handling skills for the entire world to see. No longer would Curry be seen as a ‘tweener’ guard who is unable to run an NBA offense. No longer would he be seen as a great talent decimated by injuries. Forget all of that.

From that moment on, Curry has been known as the best player on the most exciting team in basketball (this season’s best overall team, too!). Since then, he has frequently been called the best shooter in NBA history (by the likes of Kevin Durant, other players, and basketball pundits). He is now being considered as the MVP of the league! In the words of one Sports Illustrated cover: “Give Steph Curry an inch and he might take Golden State a mile.”

Oh, how the previously disrespected and injured have ascended!

Finally appearing on national television and appealing to a larger audience was not the only thing that caused Curry’s rapid rise to stardom. He has tirelessly worked on his game practice after practice, game after game, and season after season. Each of the last few seasons, he has returned markedly better in certain aspects of his game.

This begs the question: can Curry continue to improve or is he currently the best basketball player he can possibly be (which is still quite extraordinary)?

Let’s find out.

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