In a conversation with ESPN’s Chris Broussard, Stephen Curry was asked which NBA players he watched the most in order to develop his own game. Obviously, Curry learned a lot from his father, Dell Curry, who played 16 seasons in the NBA. Stephen clearly got the shooting gene, since his father was quite the three-point shooter when he was in the NBA. Dell shot above 40 percent from three in nine of his last 11 seasons in the NBA. He also shot 40.19 percent from three over his career, which is tied for 30th in NBA history.
Besides his father, Curry credits two other NBA players with helping him shape and develop his game. He told ESPN that Steve Nash and Reggie Miller were the two players that he watched the most. It makes sense why Curry chose to watch these two.
Before Curry was drafted by the Warriors, many critics said that he wasn’t ready to play point guard at the NBA level. They said he was more of a combo guard and that his shooting ability prevented him from being a pure point guard. He learned more about the position by watching how Nash could balance his shooting ability with his duties as a point guard. He has proved the critics wrong by successfully playing point guard for all four seasons he’s been in the NBA.
Curry’s choice of idols explains a lot about his game. By watching Nash and Miller, he examined two players who were some of the best to play their respective positions. Also, by examining a point guard and a shooting guard, Curry was able to watch how one position plays on the ball and how one plays off the ball.
Curry has always been compared to Nash. They’re both good shooters for point guards, and they’re both great passers. He was able to hone his point guard skills by watching Nash more closely. Curry observed how Nash never lost his dribble and could always get out of a troublesome situation with his stellar ball-handling. He also admired how Nash would “pass with flair” but, no matter what, would always make the right play. Curry also watched Nash for his shooting, especially his shooting off the dribble.
When Curry would watch Miller, he would watch him from a shooter’s perspective than from a point guard’s perspective. He watched to see how Miller would move without the ball and would use screens to get open. Curry also admired Miller’s quick release on his jump shot. Curry certainly watched and learned to mimic Miller’s quick release, because he has one of the quickest releases in the NBA. This is one of the reasons why he’s the best shooter in the NBA.
It’s always interesting to hear from current players which players from the past most influenced their games. Curry is one of the most intriguing, exciting players in the NBA. It’s fascinating to hear who he watched growing up and why he watched them, because it allows fans to see how Curry became the incredible player he is today.
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