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The other day on the Golden State of Mindcast, Bram, Ivan and I discussed the issue of whether we should be significantly concerned about the shooting slump that Stephen Curry is currently going through.
For some, concern has been heightened due to Klay Thompson also simultaneously experiencing a bit of a shooting slump. And, of course, there might be some wondering whether the slump is due to the absence of Kevin Durant or something schematic.
For me — and perhaps others as well -- I just see evidence that Curry might in fact be human after all. To better flesh out that point, I turn to Kristian Winfield of SB Nation:
Surprisingly, Curry has gotten more open looks without Durant on the floor. His inability to hit those shots, however, has hurt the Warriors offensive as of late.
Before Durant’s injury, the reigning MVP shot uncontested jumpers at a 68.2 effective field-goal percentage (an advanced stat that takes into account the value of the three-point shot in shooting percentages). But in the five games since Durant went down, that number has dropped nearly 25 points to just 43.5 percent.
Curry is shooting just 17-of-67, or 25 percent, from three-point range in that same span. This is (or isn’t) the same player who has led the NBA in three-pointers made in each of the past two seasons.
Despite what happened last season, it turns out that Curry is very likely not an alien — I repeat, not an alien. As such, he is a human guard that will occasionally go through shooting slumps. Should they run more pick and rolls? Yes. Is Durant’s absence maybe affecting Curry’s (or others’) mindset offensively? Quite possibly. But is there a long-term concern there?
For me, no.
Odds & projections
The folks at numberFire give the Warriors a 66% chance to win tonight, which is fair for another game on the road having lost three of their last five games. More projections below:
What are your thoughts heading into tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments below.