Skip Bayless drops some confusing criticism about unanimous MVP Stephen Curry for his shooting this season, ahead of the All-Star game.
Advertisement
If you are a fan of the NBA, casual or not, you probably know who Stephen Curry is. The greatest shooter of all time, and the man who changed the NBA. Curry has always been an incredible shooter. Even during his rookie year, the player still shot over 40% from beyond the arc.
This year though, during the start of the campaign, he found himself struggling quite a bit. His teammates didn’t understand the system at the time. And despite all of Steph Curry’s off-ball movements, they just failed to get him the looks he needs.
But, as the season has progressed, the 32-year-old has brought his efficiency up to 41.1% from beyond the arc. He is also averaging 29.7 points and 6.3 assists. These are MVP level numbers. And yet, it seems Skip Bayless has found it in himself to criticize any little error he sees.
“This year, Stephen Curry has not been up to snuff as a shooter”: Skip Bayless
On his show ‘Undisputed’, Skip Bayless was talking about Team LeBron ahead of the All-Star game. And so, when the topic of floor spacing on the team came up, this is what he had to say.
“Let’s look at LeBron’s starting lineup. Is Luka a shooter? No, he’s a lousy shooter. Is Giannis a shooter? No, he can’t shoot a lick. Is LeBron James really a shooter? Is that what he does? No, I’ll give you just below average. So, let’s look harder at Steph’s year so far.
This year, he’s not been up to snuff as a shooter. His career average from three is 43% and he’s two percentage points lower at 41 — which, obviously, by human standards is still excellent. But he’s not been Steph. He started off the year with 2-10 performances from three, he’s had a 1-10 night, he’s had a 1-11 night, and just the other night against Portland, he was 5-14. So, he’s been as cold as he has been hot this year.
Sometimes, on the biggest stages, Steph can go as cold as he can hot…. so, I don’t know if he’s a slam-dunk teammate as a three-point shooter or as a scorer. He comes and goes as a shooter to me.”
This is an egregious comment, to say the least. While it is true Stephen Curry’s career average is shooting 43.3% from three, he really isn’t getting the same looks this season. What’s more is, despite having to play iso-ball more than before, he is still shooting 41.1% on 11 threes a game.
There may have been a slight drop in his percentage, but there is also a drastic change in the playstyle Stephen Curry has had to adopt. And Skip Bayless’s failure to recognize this context really shows the kind of analyst he is today.
