The Warriors are off to one of their worst seasons starts in franchise history, especially after losing 12 of their last 16 matches. This weekend however, Stephen Curry was determined to end this as he’s been fed up with all the drama surrounding the team, and Draymond Green’s situation being one of the noisiest.
The Golden State superstar led his squad to a 124-120 triumph over Brooklyn, scored 37 points and became the first NBA player to ever drop 3,500 career three pointers. He not only hit six of his eight attempts beyond the arc, but he also recorded a career-high three blocks.
Coach Steve Kerr knows that Curry and the Warriors needed this result. “Steph’s been through a lot the last few days, with the Draymond news,” he expressed. “He’s had to carry this team, let’s be honest, for the first quarter of the season. We just haven’t been able to build momentum and find lineups that were clicking. So he’s carried us. And then the Draymond news. I think [Curry] was emotionally spent the last few days.”
“It was a slow start tonight [for Steph]. It didn’t look like he had it. And then, as he’s done so often, he flipped the switch. You can kind of see it when it happens, right away. He was incredible. And that’s what we needed. We’re in a bit of a rut, and your best players have to get you out of that,” Kerr added.
Another Bay Area player who was crucial to their win was Brandin Podziemski, who produced 19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and one blocked shot this Saturday. In 32 minutes of play, he shot 7-of-15 from the field and 4-of-9 from the deep.
Curry made sure he praised him after her contest. “Some of the stuff that he does, you can’t teach. It is a feel of being in the right place, anticipating plays (and) hustle. He is a master right now of the things you can control in the game of basketball: Trying to make the right play, giving the extra effort and the will to impact the game. Those intangibles are huge. … Keep doing that, and he’ll get rewarded for it,” the point guard claimed.
The rising star explained his performance. “I think when you’re not as athletic as maybe a Jonathan Kuminga, you have to kind of rely on your positioning to sort of overlook those deficiencies,” Podziemski said. “For me, being in the right spots, knowing basketball and knowing what the team is trying to get to at a certain moment has helped me tremendously throughout my career.”
Curry finally spoke his mind after teammate Draymond Green’s third ejection of the current season and agrees with punishment
While the entire NBA has had enough with Draymond Green’s constant misconducts, everyone has been wondering what Curry might think of his teammates’ aggressions. After the Warriors’ victory against the Nets, he finally spoke his mind on the matter and happens to agree with the league’s punishment.
“We had a conversation about holding each other accountable. Holding Draymond accountable to what’s been going on and what needs to change. The conversations we had were about him. Making sure the focus is getting right and getting on a path that’s going to allow him to be who he needs to be as a person, a man, a father, a husband and a basketball player. All in that order,” the superstar said.
.@stephenasmith speaks on Steph Curry’s leadership in Draymond Green’s suspension. pic.twitter.com/S5SH5GrdMa
— First Take (@FirstTake) December 14, 2023
The veteran point guard believes that the integrity of the players is the most important aspect of the game and can understand why the NBA is taking their time to determine the best possible punishment for Green.
“The tone has obviously changed from any other suspension,” Curry noticed. “Times have passed where we’re just here because we’re playing basketball. You’ve got to take a step back and make sure everybody is right.”
