Golden State Warriors: Can Curry Continue to Improve?

Defense

Oct 16, 2014; Des Moines, IA, USA; Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) defends Denver Nuggets guard Ty Lawson (3) in the first half at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

If I had written this article last year, defense would be the obvious hole in Curry’s game. However, Curry has upped his defense this season and no longer can it be considered a weakness of his game.

He is third in the league with 2.14 steals per game, which is an increase of about one half of a steal per game from last season. However, this statistic alone means little about a player’s overall defensive ability. A player can play ultra-aggressive defense and sell out for steals even when he shouldn’t, leaving his team severely disadvantaged at the opposition’s point of attack.

This is not the case with Curry. He is one of the league’s best at lurking in the passing lanes and picking off lazy passes without compromising good defensive positioning. For Curry, the talent to be a solid defensive player has always been there; the difference this season is his effort and energy.

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Last season, with Mark Jackson at the helm, Curry showed less effort on the defensive side of the ball because of how much more he had to put into Jackson’s offense, which was essentially up to Curry to find a shot anywhere on the court.

With the offense Kerr has implemented resulting in more contributions from other players, Curry now has the energy to affect the game on both sides of the floor. While Klay Thompson may still guard the Chris Pauls of the league for the most part, Curry has taken over more responsibility guarding the opposing point guard.

However, Curry’s physical tools limit him defensively. He cannot bang with the bigger, stronger guards and keep them out of the lane. Luckily for Curry, he is backed by one of the best overall defenses in the league with one of the best defensive centers in Andrew Bogut protecting the rim making some of his defensive deficiencies difficult to notice at first glance.

As long as Curry does not have to do it all on offense (don’t get me wrong, he still does quite a bit of heavy lifting), he will continue to impress on defense. Given his small size relative to other guards, I find it unlikely he will be able to improve his defensive game, but there is no reason for a defensive shortage from Curry in the future.

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