The world sings praise of Stephen Curry‘s ability to shoot the ball with precision day in and day out. As admirable a skill to possess, no one has done it quite like the four-time NBA Champion till now. During a recent appearance on Jefe Island, Steph’s former teammate David West talked about the genius of Stephen Curry and how much effort goes into making those shots look effortless. West also explained why it is almost impossible to teach those skills to 10–12-year-old kids who practice basketball in camps.
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West spent the last two years of his career, from 2016 to 2018, playing for the Golden State Warriors. There couldn’t have been a better time to be a part of Dub Nation. The Warriors at the time had the Big 3 of Steph, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, and they also had Kevin Durant playing for them. So, while being part of a team that strong, West saw the practice routine of those players, especially the Baby-Faced Assassin.
He said, “If you don’t see how those guys work firsthand, you never quite know. I’ll never forget the first time I saw Steph working out. You know me, I’m in the NBA, but I’m literally learning because I wanna be able to give it to the kids…I’m watching him workout and there’s nothing that I can ask a 10-, 11-, or 12-year-old to do.” West said that the quality of the workout was so advanced that he couldn’t understand how that could be imparted to the young kids who hoop at camps.
West said that the practice sessions ran at the same speed as the actual games, which in itself would be a challenge for kids to keep up with. In addition to that, Steph and Klay won’t go to the next drill until they make a certain number of shots in a row. The most surprising element in the practice session was Steph’s work on the defensive end. All things considered, it’s obvious that young kids can’t be expected to play like that, but West enjoyed his time with the Warriors to the fullest.
David West encouraged Stephen Curry to take charge
With a roster as deep and impactful as the Warriors from 2016 to 2019, the chances of ego clashes taking over go up rapidly. So, to take care of that, Steph at the time was trying to ensure that everyone on the team felt included and important. During an appearance on Ringer NBA, West said that he saw Steph sacrifice the most in order to make sure that KD, Klay, and Green all get enough playing time and time with the ball. However, he wasn’t happy with the setup.
West said, “There were nights where I’d have to tell him…Yo man, f*ck these guys. You gotta go. He was trying so hard to make everybody comfortable.” The two-time All-Star understood that everyone on the team was a big player but, in the end, it was Steph’s team, and he was the leader. That is why he wanted the Warriors superstar to take control in his hands and lead the team the way he deemed fit.
