The Golden State Warriors dominated the Mavs on Tuesday Night with a 130-92 final score. Despite an incredible performance by J.Kuminga and J. Poole, Stephen Curry continued the deepest shooting slump of his career as he shot just 2-10 from the three.
Over the past two months, Curry averages just 37.6% from the field and 33.8% from beyond the arc. I have even noticed Steph changing his shooting mechanics pre-game to get out of this
shooting slump. However, not even the coaching staff can pinpoint the reason behind the
struggle for the 'Greatest Shooter of All-Time'
Here are three reasons why Stephen Curry is struggling to shoot right now:
Absence of Draymond Green
Green is termed as the 'Heartbeat' of the Warriors by their head coach Steve Kerr, and to an extent, it is true as the majority of the offensive opportunities are created by him. We all know that the 'Warriors System' relies on the BIG 3 playing together on the floor and the complementary pieces supporting them through various picks and off-ball movements.
Since Green is out, there is no floor general to direct the offense other than Steph, and his numbers are down significantly ever since.
All-Time Leader Fatigue
This season the entire world kept a close eye on Steph as he was about to surpass Ray Allen
to become the All-Time 3-point leader. His shooting struggles began when he was just 16
shots away from the record.
The mental pressure of achieving the title of the 'Greatest Shooter of All-Time' is something that we fans cannot comprehend. Especially since there was a point in his career when his ankles sidelined him from the game for two seasons.
Tougher Schedule
The Warriors initially dominated the league by blowing out opponents consistently. However,
most critics have pointed out that it is a by-product of the fact that the Warriors had one of
the easiest schedules in the league.
The defensive tactics have been amped up to stop Curry from getting hot. Moreover, the Warriors have faced some gritty defensive teams as of late. Though it might be true on some level, an elite of a shooter as Steph is, I don't think that tougher defensive teams can impact his shooting to this extent.
There are several other theories created by the media like; an injury that no one knows about,
Klay Thompson's return after two years and defensive pressure creating fatigue, among a few. Despite the speculations and struggles, the Warriors are still second in the Western Conference while ranking number one on defense.
I believe it's just a matter of time till Steph gets back on track in a few weeks and wreak
havoc on the league like we are used to seeing from him.
Comments