Dub Hub, Daily Warriors Links for 6/15/23: The Ringer ranks Stephen Curry No. 2 on Top 125 Players list

Good Morning Dub Nation,

The Ringer released the final update of their Top 125 Players in the NBA list. To no surprise, Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry ranks highly on the list, coming in at second behind only Denver Nuggets center and NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic. Here’s what The Ringer had to say about Curry.

Via The Ringer:

Brandon Payne, Steph’s longtime trainer, once predicted that Curry’s pattern of blooming late would continue, and that his physical prime could extend into his mid-30s. That seemed like an outlandish thing to say, but Curry has a way of slowly choking out skepticism. He’s the all-time “keeps on coming” superstar, a player defined by his next-play confidence. Even after a bumpy shooting stretch last season that unfolded in his pursuit of the career 3-point record, even after missing critical shots in last year’s Finals, he came back and plunged the dagger when it mattered.

The typical strengths are all still clicking, but his focus on adding functional physical strength has been crucial to his remaining the most devastating off-ball player that ever lived and expanding as a finisher at the rim. He’s not easily bullied when working to get open, and on his driving paths to the rim, he’s more frequently attacking shot blockers with his body—hitting them early so that they’re grounded as he digs into his deep and creative finishing bag.

The man who revolutionized the impact of off-ball movement and live-dribble 3-point shooting, the player who has elevated the collective blood pressure of more youth coaches across the globe than probably anyone else ever has, the unflappable hand-eye superhero who changed the sport forever, is still rolling. Drink it up and savor it. —J. Kyle Mann

At 35 years old, Curry continues to show no signs of slowing down. He remains the single greatest offensive engine in the league, warranting full defensive attention as soon as he steps foot on the court. This creates plenty of open shots for his teammates, but make no mistake, Curry is still extremely capable of dominating games with his scoring as he showed during the postseason.

Though injuries forced him to miss 26 games, he still finished the season averaging 29.4 points, 6.3 assists, and a career high 6.1 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, he shot 49.4% from the field, 42.7% from the three-point line, and 91.5% from the free-throw line – narrowly missing out on another historic 50-40-90 season. Nevertheless, Curry’s performance this year was spectacular, earning himself a spot on the All-NBA team for the ninth time in his 14-year career.

Besides Curry, four other Golden State players made the list. Draymond Green was the next highest at 34, followed by Andrew Wiggins at 46, Klay Thompson at 56, and Kevon Looney at 85. To have the Warriors entire starting five all within the top 100 should give the team optimism as they hope to return to championship-contending form next year.

Here are the rest of today’s stories:

In case you missed it from Golden State of Mind:

• Warriors exploring a Jonathan Kuminga trade to move up in the draft
• Warriors given fifth-best odds to win next year’s NBA title
• The Warriors seem in no rush to name a GM
• Former Warriors assistant wins NBA title
• Warriors ‘not actively’ shopping Jordan Poole on the trade market

Other Warriors News:

• Warriors Trade Rumors: Jonathan Kuminga Could Be Moved For ‘High’ 2023 NBA Draft Pick (Bleacher Report)
• Mad Dog ranks Warriors as top championship contender next season (NBC Sports Bay Area)
• Draymond shades KAT for out-of-nowhere legacy quote (NBC Sports Bay Area)
• JJ Redick Says Warriors Will Not Contend For Title Without Draymond Green (Cold Wire)
• The Top 125 Players in the NBA (The Ringer)

NBA News:

• 2023 NBA mock draft: Why Scoot Henderson is still in play at No. 2 (ESPN)
• Sources: Wizards to work with Bradley Beal on trade scenarios (ESPN)
• Complete 2023 Offseason Guides for Every NBA Team (Bleacher Report)
• Jamal Murray is no sidekick (SB Nation)
• Jerry West Opens Up About NBA Legacy, Kobe Relationship, Difficult Childhood & More (Podcast P Show)