“I can never say that Stephen Curry made a lucky shot, it all made sense when I got to see him working his a*s off.”: Matt Barnes reveals the work ethic that separates the Warriors guard from the rest
Former Golden State Warriors teammates Draymond Green and Matt Barnes talked about the time the latter saw Stephen Curry’s greatness
Former NBA champion Matt Barnes has played with some of the best players throughout his career. The list includes players like Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Chris Webber, and many others who already are Hall of Famers or will be enshrined in the future.
But it was his time with the Golden State Warriors where he not only played with multiple future HOFs but also won his only championship in his 14-year NBA career.
Although the journeyman was traded or moved around 12 different teams in free agency in those 14 years, his voice has been one of the most prominent since his retirement in 2017.
He recently joined his former teammate Draymond Green on his podcast and talked about several topics, including practice sessions with the Warriors.
Matt Barnes sees no luck in Stephen Curry’s greatness, just hard work
Draymond Green welcomed his former teammate Matt Barnes for an episode of The Draymond Green Show. After discussing a few other subjects, Dray asked Matt about when he realized Stephen Curry’s potential?
First, Barnes explained how he realized it while playing for the Clippers and watching battles between Curry and Chris Paul up close. And then he talked about when he came to the 2016-17 Warriors.
“I would watch the off-balance, awkward body angle, one foot, leaning, left hand, right hand, all the s**t that they (Steph and Klay) were working on,” Barnes said, talking about watching the Splash Brothers working out together after the team practice while waiting to get a hoop for his own workout.
He continued, “I’m thinking like any shot that these two guys are taking, but I am talking about Steph, makes on the court is not luck. I can never say that Steph Curry made a lucky shot.”
“You know, he works the odd angles, the awkward hand, the off the glass, the half-court shots he shoots like they are f**king layups while we are warming up. So, I again, to answer your question, I saw originally as an opponent, but it all made sense when I got to see him work day-to-day because he works his a*s off.”
There’s no way for someone to make five 3s per game through multiple seasons with lucky shots and become the greatest shooter of all time. Even a friendly roll on the rim depends on how one lets the ball fly, which comes from several hours of practice as Matt described.
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