Two years in the NBA Development League finally pays off for Seth Curry.
Since going undrafted in 2013, Curry has been on the cusp of scoring a guaranteed deal in the big leagues. He spent his rookie season under the watchful eyes of the Golden State Warriors, leading their D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, back to the finals. As a sophomore, the Orlando Magic did much of the same — Curry was waived prior to the 2014-15 season and played for the Erie BayHawks via the affiliate rule.
While Curry failed to earn a call-up during the season despite putting up MVP-like numbers, a strong Summer League outing paved the way for a two-year, fully-guaranteed deal with the Sacramento Kings. The jury is still out on whether or not Curry can be an impact player in the NBA, but for a rebuilding team in need of offensive firepower, giving him a shot is a savvy move by the Kings.
Shooting
The beauty of Curry’s game is his versatility. He was among the nation’s best shooters as a senior at Duke and proved the ability to play point in his rookie season with the Warriors. With Peyton Siva being a more traditional point guard, Curry returned to his natural position (shooting guard) last season.
In 43 games with the BayHawks, Curry averaged 23.8 points while shooting 48.4 percent from the field, 46.7 percent from 3-point range and 92.6 percent from the free throw line. His shot chart was basically a field of green. He’s comfortable playing off the ball, whether it be curling off of screens or spotting up on the wings, and is automatic in catch-and-shoot situations.
Curry’s dynamite with the ball in his hands, too. He’s not a great facilitator out of the pick-and-roll, but he can get his shot off in a variety of ways. His out-of-the-gym range forces opponents to fight over screens, and he uses nifty step-backs and jab steps to create space between himself and his defender. If defenders run him off the perimeter, he knows how to make them pay.
When it’s all clicking, Curry can rattle off points from anywhere on the court at the blink of an eye. He scored 30-plus points on eight occasions in Erie, making 42 3-pointers in the process.
The knock on Curry coming out of college was that he didn’t have the physical tools or skills to be a point guard, a position he is far better suited for in the pros. While it remains to be seen if he can make the full-time jump, there’s no doubting his knack for filling it up.
Passing
Even after two years in the D-League, Curry is more of a shooting guard than a point guard. In pick-and-rolls, he looks for his own shot rather than creating for others. It comes as no surprise given his scoring ability, but he’ll likely be expected to facilitate more in the NBA.
Many of Curry’s assists in the pick-and-roll result from opponents having to switch because of his shooting ability. With teammates popping for midrange shots or slicing to the rim, he proved capable of making the right play by finding them in their sweet spots. He’s unselfish on fast breaks, too, surveying the court for teammates streaking towards the basket.
Curry’s assist numbers took a hit in comparison to his rookie season, much of which had to do with Siva’s presence. Even so, he’s not a big time passer and, as I’ve previously written, has a few tendencies that lead to careless turnovers. Because of his shooting ability and lack of playmaking, pairing him with Rajon Rondo in small lineups would be ideal.
Driving
Curry completed 60.9 percent of his layups (comparable to league average) in a BayHawks uniform. Much like Aaron Craft, he struggled to finish over longer and more athletic opponents.
Most of Curry’s issues around the basket stem from his physical limitations. He doesn’t have the size at 6-1 and 179 pounds to outmuscle twos and lacks the explosiveness to routinely beat NBA-calibre point guards off the dribble. As a result, he shies away from contact and settles for too many rushed floaters instead of going to the rack strong.
Because he lacks a quick first step, Curry gets cut off by defenders en route to the rim. Even on fast breaks, he’ll opt to pull-up rather than weave his way into the paint, which spells trouble in the NBA.
“[Curry] can shoot the 3-point shot, no question about it,” an NBA scout told SeaDubsCentral. “But the mid-range jumper is something teams are starting to stray away from, so without that ability to finish at the rim, longer defenders will smother him on the perimeter taking away that shot leaving him with no other option on offense.”
That’s not to say Curry can’t break a defense down, because he most certainly can.
While Curry’s ceiling is limited given his weaknesses — at 24-years-old, he’s unlikely to get much quicker or explosive — he’s a crafty player who knows how to get to his spots. With a tight handle and soft touch, he uses the backboard well to convert layups and has proven the ability to convert floaters at a high rate. When power forwards or centers chase him down, he outsmarts them with effective scoop shots.
Curry’s rookie season with the Warriors was the first time he really played with the ball in his hands, and he’s made some promising improvements since. He may never be a slasher — jump shots made up 86.7 percent of his total shot attempts with the BayHawks — but he has the skills to take what the defense gives him.
Defense
Curry’s defense could make or break him in the NBA.
Curry went through lulls defensively with the BayHawks, which doesn’t come as a huge surprise given the load he was expected to shoulder offensively on a nightly basis. When switched on defensively, he flustered opposing guards, put his quick hands to work by disrupting plays and funnelled players well into help defense. When he wasn’t, players often waltzed their way into the lane with little-to-no pressure.
At his size and weight, Curry doesn’t provide much resistant. Bulkier opponents simply bulldozed him out of the way and shooting guards used their length to rise up over him. Ticky-tack fouls led to easy and ones on the fast break and he sometimes struggled to stay in front of his assignment due to his underwhelming lateral quickness. It doesn’t help that he struggles to fight through screens, either.
Both the Warriors and BayHawks hid Curry on defense by switching him onto weaker offensive talents, but the Kings won’t have the same luxury. Given the spot minutes he’s likely to play, there won’t be much room for error. It may come down to whether or not his offensive impact can outweigh his defensive shortcomings.
Intangibles
Bill Peterson, head coach of the BayHawks, spoke with Sactown Royalty recently about what type of player the Kings are getting in Curry. Here’s what he had to say about his clutch gene:
"He’s very good in clutch situations. He’s one of those guys that just has it. I think he made three or four game-winners for us this past year in Erie. And I told one of the scouts that called me on the phone about him the other day, he’s one of those rare guys, he can be terrible for three quarters and just not playing very good, not making a lot of shots, and something comes alive in the fourth quarter, which not many guys can do that. He can make a bunch of shots and make the game-winner."
Curry’s scoring prowess forced teams to revolve their entire game plan around him. Bad shooting nights were few and far between, and his confidence never rattles. He lives for the big moments — Curry scored 44 points in his playoff debut with the Warriors — and is a legitimate option down the stretch given his ability to create his own shot out of nothing.
Further proof: Curry shot 16-for-24 (66.7 percent) in the last three minutes of five point games with the BayHawks, according to the D-League. That’s bananas.
Overall
Curry is a shooting guard trapped in a point guard’s body and lacks the tools to be an above average defender at the next level. But for all his faults, he’s proven the ability to fill it up with the best of them. There’s certainly value in that for an NBA team.
The Kings need help in a number of areas, but outside shooting has long been their Achilles heel. With Curry, they’re hoping to address that next season. His shooting should make a seamless transition to the NBA, and he possesses the tools to develop into a more well-rounded player in due time.
Ultimately, Curry has done all he can in the D-League to warrant more than just a 10-day contract. Now, it’s time to prove that he can make it stick with the Kings.