There are different shades of green, but none are brighter or more urgent than the shade of green Steph Curry sees. Not since Michael Jordan (or maybe Kobe Bryant) has any player been granted the kind of green light Steph Curry is looking at in Golden State. Talent separates NBA players at the top level, but there are two additional factors — being in the right system for your talent and having confidence. Kevin Durant, LeBron James — all the great players have abundant confidence — so it’s difficult to stand out in this regard. Yet Steph Curry is doing it, playing NBA basketball with more confidence on offense than any player since Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan. Curry’s current green light is greener than the Sierra Club.
The reigning NBA MVP Curry shot 13 three-pointers (making 8) on his way to scoring 46 points in a 129-116 Warriors win over the T-Wolves on Thursday. So far in 2015-15 Curry’s shooting 53% from the field, blowing away his 2014-15 MVP-year average of 48.7%. He’s averaging ELEVEN 3-point attempts per game, again blowing away last season’s average of 8.1 (which led the league). Curry’s averaging 20.5 shots per game this season, nearly a shot per quarter more than last year’s 16.8. For comparison, Michael Jordan never averaged more than four 3-point attempts per game for a season. But Jordan’s green light was even greener than Curry’s most years. Jordan averaged 22 or more shots per game 12 seasons in a row.
