Stephen Curry may not be producing the same numbers he did for the Golden State Warriors last season, but he feels criticism of his performances is “comical”.
Two-time MVP Curry is averaging just under five points less than last season and his shooting percentages are among his other statistics to have suffered a dip.
Consequently, it has been suggested the 29-year-old is not performing as well as he did last term, despite it being natural to suffer a decline after one of the best offensive performances in NBA history and with Kevin Durant having joined the Warriors.
The Golden State guard acknowledged those facts, but hit back at the negative attention he has been subjected to.
“I think it’s comical that people were saying I’m having a down year,” Curry told Bleacher Report.
“To go black and white and say I’m not having as good a season as I was having last year based on just five points a game or shooting percentage or whatnot … there are other things that you try to do other than just the eye test to try and help your team win.
“This year has taught me that, for sure. The accolades and the attention and all that stuff, the hype is cool. But it’s really how you feel about your own game.
“I know when I don’t play well and how mad I get at myself. I know when I do play well and how I want to keep that going. Same approach as I had last year.
“Just five fewer points a game. Who cares?”
Curry will not be winning MVP this season after being the first-ever unanimous winner of the award in 2016, but that does not mean he is playing poorly.
He still has 302 three-pointers made this season which is second in NBA history only behind himself last year. His 25.2 points per game would also be a career high were it not for his 30.1 average last season.
However, he has grown as a playmaker for the offense as a whole, and Curry said it’s unfair to compare some of his numbers from a year ago because he is doing different things.
“With the roster that we have and adding a guy like KD, there’s obviously going to be more of a balanced attack,” Curry said.
“It’s pretty clear how that’s kind of evolved over the course of the season. My job as the point guard of this team is to balance all the talent that we have, plus at the same time staying aggressive with my own game.”
