The Warriors had an awful start to their 2020-21 campaign, losing to the Nets in blowout fashion on national television. It was an outcome that many Golden State pundits prepared for, with more new players on the roster than is usual during the Steve Kerr era.
Guard Stephen Curry is still the No. 1 part of that era, and he’s healthy and ready to go after missing all but five games last year due to injury. He struggled a bit against the Nets, but the entire team did and besides, a struggle for Steph added up to 20 points and 10 assists, though he hit just 2 of 10 3-point shots.
But that takes us the next Warriors game, against the Bucks on Christmas. The Warriors will face a mighty test from an Eastern Conference power, and Curry will have a chance to hit a 3-point milestone, according to Josh Robbins of The Athletic. Here’s what he wrote about Curry on opening day of the NBA season.
Stephen Curry will open the season needing to make just five 3s to become the third player in NBA history with at least 2,500 career 3-pointers. Curry could reach that milestone as early as Tuesday’s season-opener in Brooklyn.
What’s amazing is how quickly Curry reached that plateau. This season will be Curry’s 12th NBA season. Reggie Miller, who is second on the list of made 3s, made his 2,500th trey during his 18th (and final) season. Ray Allen, the all-time leader, hit his 2,500th trey during his 15th season.
Curry needs just 66 triples to pass Miller for second on the list.Curry needs 479 more treys to wrest the all-time lead from Allen. Curry won’t threaten Allen’s record this season, but to what extent will Curry erode Allen’s lead?”
With Curry needing five more 3s to reach 2,500 to start the season, he needs just three more against the Bucks to reach this incredible milestone.
The pace of Steph’s 3-point accumulation underscores how much he’s changed the NBA with his elite shooting, making more than 40% of his 3-pointers in every campaign of his career save for his fraction of a year in 2019-20. The numbers have added up quickly, especially with his high volume of said shots.
He’ll almost assuredly pass Ray Allen, but let’s enjoy these moments as they come. Perhaps the recognition of Curry’s greatness will inspire his teammates into playing winning basketball, which is Curry’s main concern at the moment.
And on my way out the door, here’s two Warriors-specific milestones to watch out for this season, again courtesy of Robbins:
Curry also is hunting a few franchise-specific milestones.
He needs 1,365 points to pass Chamberlain as the Warriors’ all-time points leader. Curry is 235 assists away from passing Guy Rodgers as the Warriors’ all-time assists leader.“
Times are different in Golden State, but it’s the same Steph Curry on the squad, and thank goodness for that.
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