After two MVP seasons, we know what Stephen Curry is capable of doing. There isn't anyone on the planet quite like him when he's dialed-in from downtown.
Is a relatively underwhelming start to the season behind him after his record-breaking performances over the past week?
It sure looks that way. Curry largely meandered through the first two weeks of the season as the Warriors found their groove, ranking just 19th in the NBA in average game score, three spots below Utah's George Hill. Adjusting to adding another superstar like Kevin Durant clearly was going to take some time.
Imagine if Paul McCartney had left the Beatles and joined forces with a musical genius like Jimi Hendrix. Naturally, it would take a few shows to learn how to jam without being fearful of stepping on anyone's toes. While the sheer level of skill would guarantee a certain level of performance, there would probably be a few odd performances along the way, similar to what transpired in Golden State's head-scratching loss to the Lakers in which Curry laid a 0-10 clunker from deep.
As of last Monday, Curry was tied for third in the NBA in made 3-pointers while shooting a relatively pedestrian 35 percent from beyond the arc. All-Star-caliber numbers for sure, but nothing resembling a two-time MVP.
When he erupted for 13 3s last Monday against the Pelicans, darting around screens and splashing 30 footers over outstretched arms, it was confirmation that the sound check was officially over. Starting with those record-smashing triples against New Orleans and ending with an efficient 30 points against the Suns, Curry's final tally for the week included 33.3 PPG, 6.0 APG and 4.8 RPG while shooting 60 percent overall, including 62 percent from beyond the arc.
His average Game Score of 27.8 was by far his best week of the season and tops in the league this round, making Curry our player of the week.
Curry drained 29 3s last week, 12 more than any other player and more than 12 entire teams. He sank 46 percent Golden State's 3s for the week, which is a larger percentage than last season when he accounted for 37 percent of the team's made 3s en route to a record 402 total. And while asking him to break his own single-season record might be too tall of an order -- especially considering that Warriors coach Steve Kerr is likely at some point going to give him a few nights off -- it's worth pointing out that his 48 triples through 10 games are the second-most ever and just four fewer than he had at this same point a year ago. That it's even remotely on the table at all considering his team just added a four-time scoring champ is incredible.
Of course, adding someone of Durant's caliber can make the game a lot easier for Curry. And by virtue of a consistently lower degree of difficulty, Curry can still fill it up voluminously. It's that aspect in particular that was on full display last week.
With Durant on the floor, Curry shot 61 percent from beyond the arc (19-31). With Durant off the floor, Curry was 63 percent from deep (10-16). Both of those numbers are insane, but they don't tell the whole story. Curry won't shoot 60 percent from the floor over a substantial period of time. But while results are prone to peaks and valleys in dealing with samples of several games, the quality of attempts tends to remain more consistent. This is where Durant's presence is truly felt, and what makes a Curry run at 402 feel possible.
Of the 16 3s that Curry took last week when Durant was off the floor, just three of them were uncontested. But of the 31 that he took with Durant also on the floor, a whopping 16 were open looks. Without even taking into account his performance on those shots, that's an enormous difference in shot quality.
On the season as a whole, 22 percent of Curry's attempts from beyond the arc when Durant has been out of the game have been uncontested. With Durant in alongside Curry, that number jumps all the way to 44 percent. Considering that last season Curry shot 54 percent on open 3s compared to 41 percent on contested 3s, that influx of open shots should terrify Warriors' opponents as the season unfolds.
With the greatest shooter of all time playing alongside one of the best scorers of all time, this past week was a small taste of the sweet music that only Curry can produce.
On the season, Curry's big week vaults him into the top 10, up 12 spots to No. 7. James Harden remains on top.