Age is supposed to take something from a point guard. It took scoring from Steve Nash, who averaged 12.7 points per game at 38 with the Los Angeles Lakers. It has not taken anything from Stephen Curry, who is averaging 30.0 points for the Golden State Warriors, more than double that mark.
The Number That Doesn’t Make Sense
That is the part we tend to forget. Curry has made greatness look routine for so long that it can start to feel like background noise. But the numbers don’t care about familiarity. At 38, in his 18th season, he is playing like he hasn’t been told.
38-year-old Steph Curry is currently averaging 30.0 PPG (in 28.8 MPG) on 68.8% TS.
He’s been a Top 3 player so far this season. Do not take for granted the absurdity of what he’s doing.
Golden State Warriors Have Handled Him With Care
This did not happen by accident. Head coach Steve Kerr said in October that the Golden State Warriors were “really scaling back his overall workload,” per Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area, trying to find “that sweet spot where he can still be in rhythm and be ready to play 32, 34 minutes.”
That meant fewer practice reps and few back-to-backs, and it meant sitting him on the first night of a back-to-back when the schedule asked for it. He is playing fewer minutes, and he’s making them count.
Curry Is Stacking Nights
His last three games say it best. He scored 44 points against the Minnesota Timberwolves, 31 against the Los Angeles Lakers and 34 against the Phoenix Suns.
The 44-point night was his 15th 40-point game after turning 35, which tied LeBron James for the most in NBA history, per Ryan Greenberg of NBC Sports Bay Area.
A Gift He Doesn’t Take for Granted
Curry sounds like someone who understands what he’s doing. After tying LeBron, he described the feeling. “I got reminded today how fortunate I am to still be playing this game at the level that I expect, and when you have nights like these where the body’s feeling good, the ball starts to go in, all the joy comes back and all the work that you put in,” he said, per Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area.
What It Means for the Golden State Warriors
The Warriors are 5-3 and riding a five-game winning streak after an 0-3 start. Curry is the engine, but he has help, including a rookie in Yaxel Lendeborg who has taken some of the weight.
For a veteran who just wants to keep playing at this level, that may be the most important part. He doesn’t have to do everything, and somehow, he still does.
Warriors’ Stephen Curry Is Doing Something No 38-Year-Old Has Ever Done