The Los Angeles Lakers must stop Stephen Curry at all costs.
Like the Los Angeles Lakers did nearly four decades ago, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors forever changed the NBA. Now Curry and the Warriors must change because their dynasty ended a long time ago. A shorthanded Warriors squad, literally and figuratively, limped their way to the worst record in the NBA last season.
The Warriors misfortune has extended three seasons now: Kevin Durant tore his Achilles and Klay Thompson tore his ACL during the 2019 NBA Finals; Curry broke his hand against the Suns shortly after the 2019-20 regular season started; Thompson tore his Achilles right before this season started, which will likely end the Warriors title hopes.
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The only fortune from all this misfortune was the Warriors drafting center James Wiseman, who (at times) looks like the second coming of Giannis Antetokounmpo: a hyper-athletic big man who has the ball-handling and shooting ability of a guard.
Wiseman is the future but look at Curry right now: he is a superstar again. Teams are once again double-teaming and even triple-teaming him to get the ball out of his hands.
Is this level of attention warranted? Yes, it is. The Denver Nuggets made the crucial mistake to not deny Curry the ball 35 feet away from the basket.
35-footer? YUP. pic.twitter.com/me9zC7Upb4
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) January 15, 2021
Curry is arguably the greatest shooter in NBA history and is still in his prime. He has singlehandedly won games this season for the Warriors just by his threat to knock down shots from anywhere on the court. There is obviously a very strong correlation between the Warriors winning games and Curry scoring all the points in the process.
So who on the Lakers should guard him? Dennis Schröder, the Lakers’ new point guard? He wants the smoke, but Curry will smoke him if he guards him straight up.
Keep in mind Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, in my opinion, the team’s best on-ball defender, recently came back from an ankle injury. Even if KCP was at full strength, I doubt he can stop Curry.