NBA Week 18 Rewind: Stephen Curry keeps changing the game
By Tom West
Under-the-radar Players to Watch Next Week
Brook Lopez has been deserving of an appearance in this segment for most of the season. He’s healthy again, he’s been a surprisingly effective defensive force in the paint, and he’s proving exactly why he’s one of the premier scoring centers in the NBA. Unbelievably, the Brooklyn Nets are actually 5-5 in their last 10 games, and Lopez controlling the paint is a key reason why.
He moves patiently and accurately on the low block, with a wide enough variety of hook shots and range to be effective despite lacking the speed to blow past opponents. He’s been efficient from every area of the floor inside the arc too, highlighted by his 44.4 percent shot from 10-16 feet and 40.8 percent stroke from 16-24 feet.
As he continues to boost his numbers and showcase his talents during the Nets’ dismal season, he tallied a new season-high 36 points on February 23 last week. Now, with 23.3 points on 55 percent shooting over the last 15 games, it’s no surprise that team owner Mikhail Prokhorov didn’t want to lose him at the trade deadline.
Klay Thompson is an All-Star, a Splash Brother, a three-point contest winner and a reigning NBA champion. Of course, he isn’t exactly a player who gets no attention. However, in the increasingly overbearing shadow of Stephen Curry, Thompson has somewhat gone under the radar recently. He isn’t creating his own jaw-dropping shots or racking up 45 points on a consistent basis, but he has been highly consistent and does everything the Warriors could ask of him.
He’s scored at least 30 points in three of his last five games alone; an achievement you’ll see hear little about in the news or on social media. To merely serve as the running mate to the unstoppable Curry, that’s not bad production. For the season, he’s at an ever so slightly increased career-high of 21.8 points per game on a new best 47.1 percent shooting.
Along with the fact that he’s shooting at least 44 percent from every area of the floor from 10-24 feet and is doing his part defensively, there’s no doubt that we’d be hearing more about him if it wasn’t for Curry.
That’s just the sacrifice you make for being with the NBA MVP in your backcourt.