SAN FRANCISCO — Year 14 already?
No matter how you slice it, Steph Curry is on the back nine of his Hall of Fame career. The living Warriors legend will turn 35 in March. We’ve seen athletes like 45-year-old Tom Brady and even 37-year-old LeBron James redefine what’s possible from all-timers.
Given his first-ever NBA FInals MVP performance last season, it’s safe to say Steph is still in his prime. Scary thing is, he thinks there’s still room for growth.
“My 14th year,” Curry said at Sunday’s media day. “I feel fresh and prime, ready to go. I feel like in my head still getting better. … We are on hopefully another nine-month journey starting yesterday. And it's exciting. You're blessed to play this game at the highest level and understand that we still have an opportunity to win a couple more championships.”
Curry’s Splash Brother Klay Thompson has been by his side since 2011. Beyond Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, perhaps no one else has as intimate a feel for Steph’s game than Klay.
“I think he can do it as long as he wants,” Curry said. “Steph works so hard. He's in great shape, and he really just loves the game. He's extremely competitive. So I think Steph can do this until he's 40. I mean, his game is suited for it. He's not a power player. He's powerful, but he's obviously based -- his game is based on more finesse. He'll do it for as long as he wants.”
Steph’s 34.5 minutes per game in 2021-22 were the most in any regular season since Steve Kerr took over in 2014. The guy is a freak athlete when it comes to conditioning. He has also transformed his body to withstand the bruising that comes with attacking the rim in the NBA while still maintaining his otherworldly shooting abilities.
Curry said he took about two true weeks off during his busy summer, where he jetsetted around the world after winning his fourth ring.
“And then the minutes question, there's always -- I think the last couple years there's been more conversations around what that looks like,” Curry said. “Like I know I can play 36 and feel great every single night. That's me as a competitor. Obviously my opinion matters, but there's trust knowing we'll put ourselves in the best position to win and knowing there's room to ebb and flow on either side of that depending how the season is going. Coach is a very smart man and will make smart decisions.”
This also speaks to the work done by director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini and his staff. Draymond, 32, made sure to give a shoutout to Rick and his team during Sunday’s media day.
“They don't get much argument back from us anymore, from myself, from Steph, from Klay, because that trust has been built,” Green said. “And so as far as managing minutes and things like that, I would love to sit here and tell you, "Hell no, I'm fine and I just want to play as much as I want to play," but the reality is is I trust our coaching staff, I trust our performance group. They've been incredible for us.”
The Warriors will practice Monday one last time before heading to Japan for a quick trip and their two exhibition games against the Washington Wizards. Crazy to think, we’re only about three weeks away from Curry and the Dubs starting the regular season on Oct. 18.
