Steph Curry is among the favourites to win the MVP award, but his finishing is becoming a concern for the Golden State Warriors.
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The greatest shooter the sport has ever seen, Steph Curry is enjoying a sensational 2021/22 season with the Golden State Warriors. The California outfit sit top of the Western Conference with the best record in the NBA.
On an individual level, Curry has the fourth-most points in the league so far, and is averaging the third-most points per game. He finished third in the MVP rankings last year and is the favourite to win the award this year.
However, when we take a deeper dive into his statistics, there might be some cause for concern.
Steph Curry is on course to his worst season from the 2-point range since 2012/13
Curry is an NBA highlight reel regular. He puts on a show from around the court, using his height and physique – things that would normally go against him as a professional basketball player – to create moments of magic. That, coupled with his consistency and efficiency, make him a modern great.
An example of the same is his finishing from within three feet of the rim – which stands at a brilliant 64.7%. We usually see him trick defenders in the process with his exceptional handles and clever layups. This season has been a bit different, though.
According to Cleaning the Glass, Curry has converted only 58% of his shots at the rim this season, which puts him in the 49th percentile among point guards. He has been in the 70th percentile or higher in his career since the 2012/13 season. Additionally, the to-be MVP is only converting 32% of his floaters as it stands. To put that into context, 53% of his floaters dropped in last season.
His performance against the San Antonio Spurs yesterday raised some concerns as well. He ended the game with 27 points, but with only 2/11 from two-point range.
This raises the question — is Stephen Curry finally regressing?
That might be incredibly harsh given the season he is enjoying. Not only has he been scoring brilliantly, but his playmaking has been top-notch as well. The Warriors guard is averaging 6.5 assists per game. That is marginally short of his unanimous MVP season (2015/16) when he was putting up 6.8 assists per game.
It is also quite evident that Curry’s defence has improved leaps and bound this season. He has already registered 11 blocks this season, averaging a block every two games — a career-high.
Not to mention, Steph’s finishing numbers were lurking around similar percentages last season at this stage. They evened out through the season, though and reached his career standard. Still 33 and with a burning desire to win, Steph Curry is not regressing any time soon.
