“Stephen Curry will struggle if teammates don’t help”: Former Warriors center Zaza Pachulia claims Steph can be shut down without support

Former Warriors’ center Zaza Pachulia talks about how it was to play alongside both Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo

The Golden State Warriors are facing the Milwaukee Bucks tonight for their Christmas Day match-up. Before the match, Zaza Pachulia spoke with the Bay Area News Group about the two players, the similarities they share, and the differences they have.

The former Warrior talked about what he liked about Steph, about Giannis and how he is as a person, and much more.

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Among all the other things, Zaza also went on to talk about who is harder to defend, Steph or Giannis. According to him, it is about the teammates and not the player himself. It all depends on how their team is reacting to situations happening on the court.

“If his team doesn’t help out, Steph is going to struggle too”: Zaza Pachulia

While describing who was the more difficult one to guard, Zaza says Giannis can be shut down, in due time if there are no shooters to space the floor along with him. He says the same thing can apply to Curry.

During the 2016-18 era, the Warriors had Bogut and Draymond set screens for him. He had Klay space out the floor for him, and having KD was an additional bonus. Zaza believes if the current Warriors’ teammates do not help out Curry in a similar fashion, he would struggle this season.

“Same thing goes with Steph. It started with Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green setting screens to get him open, Klay helps because teams cannot really load on Steph because if you leave Klay open, Klay’s going to make 14 3s against the Chicago Bulls. With Kevin Durant, one of the best players in the league, Steph has more freedom and he can be who he is. But if you have this amazing defender on him and a big man down there waiting for him, then Steph is going to struggle, too.”

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After their disappointing loss against the Nets, Curry was seen talking to Wiggins and Oubre Jr., and telling them not be deterred by the start of the season. The road for them is long, and they would be the main supporting cast for him this season, as Klay is out due to injury.