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It's no secret that Curry's recent form hasn't been quite right. Take the last game as an example, where the Warriors suffered a crushing 95-113 defeat at home to the Cavaliers. The loss wasn't surprising, considering the Cavaliers had the best record in the league. However, Curry's performance was particularly out of character, shooting only 4 for 14 from the field, 3 for 11 from three-point range, without any free throws, scoring just 11 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists.
In the first half alone, Curry was completely off his game, shooting 1 for 6 and scoring only 2 points. In the third quarter, despite increasing his attempts, he managed only 2 for 6, scoring 6 points. By the start of the fourth quarter, the Warriors were trailing by nearly 20 points and needed to quickly close the gap, but Curry failed to step up, playing half a quarter and only managing to sink one three-pointer.
With 4 and a half minutes remaining, the Warriors still trailed by 19 points, and Coach Kerr substituted Curry out, signaling the end of the game as garbage time.
It's worth noting that this isn't the first time Curry has performed so poorly recently. Prior to the crushing defeat against the Cavaliers, the Warriors won 109-105 at home against the Suns, with Curry scoring 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists. However, his shooting was only 9 for 22, 4 for 13 from three-point range, and he made 5 turnovers. Crucially in the fourth quarter, Curry shot 2 for 9, scoring only 4 points, almost costing them the victory.
Looking further back, the Warriors lost 105-111 at home to the Pacers, with Curry also underperforming, shooting 2 for 13, 2 for 9 from three-point range, scoring only 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists, making 3 turnovers.
Even further back, the Warriors were brutally defeated 93-144 by the Grizzlies, with Curry delivering the worst performance of his career, shooting 0 for 7 and scoring only 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 assist, with a negative plus/minus value of -41.
Of course, there have been some good games interspersed during this period. For instance, in the Christmas Day game against the Lakers, although the Warriors lost, Curry scored 38 points and 6 assists by hitting 8 three-pointers, which can be considered a glorious defeat.
Another example is the game after scoring "only 2 points," where the Warriors defeated the Timberwolves 113-103 away, with Curry scoring 31 points, 3 rebounds, and 10 assists, with a high plus/minus value of +20.
Objectively speaking, it's normal for players who rely on shooting to have inconsistent form, and Curry is no exception. However, the situation where he has underperformed in 4 out of the past 6 games is quite rare for Curry.
Even though he has scored over 30 points twice, Curry has only done so 5 times this season—Curry has played 26 games this season, and by the end of the first 26 games last season, he had 13 games with over 30 points, including 2 games with over 40 points.
So far this season, Curry's stats are as follows: averaging 22.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 6.4 assists, with shooting percentages of 43.7%, 40.1%, and 92.3%, and a true shooting percentage of 60.3%.
This level of performance would be considered very good for many players, but for Curry, it's not quite right. As a comparison, Curry's performance over the past two seasons:
- In the 2022-23 season, he averaged 29.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 6.3 assists, with a true shooting percentage of 65.6%.
- In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 26.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists, with a true shooting percentage of 61.6%.
Compared to last season, Curry's scoring has dropped by a full 4.4 points, and he currently doesn't even rank in the top 25 in scoring, which is something many fans might not have expected.
The Curry of 2021 is still vivid in our memories; after Wiseman's injury, Curry could still grind out a scoring title. In the 2023 playoffs against the Kings in Game 7, Curry could score 50 points when given the chance. More recently, in August of this year, Curry showed off at the Olympics, saving Team USA in the final moments of consecutive games.
But now, even scoring over 30 points in a game has become very challenging, which raises the question: what's wrong with Curry? Is his decline permanent? After all, he is already 36 years old, and it seems natural for him to decline.
Personally, I believe that age must have an impact, and this influence is permanent, such as physical fitness issues. This season, Curry's performance in the fourth quarter has been noticeably worse, averaging 6.5 points, with a shooting percentage of 40.9%, a three-point percentage of 35.7%, and a true shooting percentage of 55.5%.
However, this impact shouldn't theoretically be so significant. From other aspects, Curry didn't get enough rest during the offseason, the Warriors' system has too many rotations, and the lack of star support has contributed to Curry's difficulties.
Looking at the Warriors' situation, it's quite dire. The Warriors started this season with a 12-3 record, once leading the Western Conference, but in the following 17 games, they lost 13 of them, with a current record of 16 wins and 16 losses, ranking only tenth in the West.
In the past 17 games, the Warriors have encountered significant problems on offense, scoring only 106.1 points per 100 possessions, which is better than only the Hornets and Wizards, two rebuilding teams, ranking 28th in the league.
During this period, when Curry is on the court, the Warriors can score 115.6 points per 100 possessions and outscore their opponents by 0.7 points. However, when Curry is off the court, the Warriors can only score an astonishingly low 89.9 points per 100 possessions and are outscored by 17.1 points.
The good news is that even though the Warriors are not playing well and Curry's personal offense has declined, his influence is still there. However, relying solely on Curry is definitely not enough. The Warriors now need a second star to help alleviate the pressure on Curry.
Schroder's arrival was initially viewed favorably by many, but it now appears that he needs more time to adapt to the Warriors' system. Schroder with the ball is significantly better than Schroder without the ball.
As for Curry's form, it's certainly not as good as last season, and after reaching his thirties, it will be difficult for him to return to the level of nearly 30 points per game he averaged two years ago. But currently averaging 22 points, with occasional standout performances followed by subpar ones? This is definitely not the norm for Curry. We hope Curry can regain his form soon, and we also hope the Warriors can provide him with more support.