Although the disappointment of your Golden State Warriors' playoff elimination was still fresh, Stephen Curry stepped to your podium after Game 6 and confidently asserted that he and his team could be even better in that 2013-14 season.
While it might be hard to imagine how Curry—a guy exactly who just finished making more three-point shots within a season than anyone with the history of the NBA—could get an appreciable leap up coming year, remember: He's only 25 and hasn't had the main benefit of a full offseason from work since he had been a rookie.
A seemingly endless series of ankle injuries, surgeries and rehabilitation periods have turned all but one of Curry's NBA summers into tiresome treks returning to health. This time around, he'll have three-and-a-half months to work on his game.
As soon as asked what areas your dog could improve, Curry reported his strength, quickness and ability to arrive at the foul line. Those may appear like vague goals, but it'd be difficult to peg three appropriate areas on which Curry have to focus. Clearly, he realizes where his weaknesses are lying.
What's more, we've already seen proof that Curry knows tips on how to add things to their game. Anyone who watched his growth through the 2012-13 season knows that she actually got better over the season. And that growth isn't just confined to their numbers—although it's worth mentioning he improved his field-goal percentage by four percent, his three-point accuracy just by about one-and-a-half percent in addition to his points-per-game average simply by five full points following All-Star break.
Numbers usually are fine, but the subtler shifts were what really mattered. Curry's amplified aggressiveness, willingness to create their own shots and that excellent left-handed whip pass that she featured so often with the playoffs all came about over the regular season.
Not only did Curry show enable you to grow during the 365 days, he also proved they could adapt within private playoff series. Whether it was learning learn how to attack a double team or taking advantage of pressure by driving this lane, Curry made it clear he's able of adding new weapons to his arsenal in a surprisingly short period.
In inclusion to his capacity to help you augment his technical capabilities, Curry's newfound confidence supplies him a great chance an extra shot even better next months. After capturing the hearts for the NBA world with many of the postseason's most memorable takeover projects, Curry seems to have got convinced himself that he is actually a star. For a poor, team-first guy like her, it can be hard in the future to that realization—even when everybody else already knows it.
Curry now has tangible proof he can carry a team. And if he ever has any doubts about that over the summer, he will pop in the tape of his set of two 22-point quarters during this playoffs.
Obviously, Curry's capacity to take another step toward superstardom is crucial to the Warriors make deeper playoff run so next year. But he still may not be alone in her growth.
Inside what'll be his third NBA season next yr, expect Klay Thompson to improve right together with his backcourt teammate. Though the Washington Express product didn't shoot it quite as well as he did in this rookie campaign, Thompson definitely proved that he's going to be a deadly out of threat (40 percent from long range in 2012-13) whenever he's on the ground.
The Warriors also involved him within a wider variety of offensive sets a year ago, which showcased Thompson's skills being decision-maker coming off of screens and with the post.
Most importantly, Thompson gradually became the Dubs' primary perimeter defender not too long ago. His length, footwork and surprising extensive quickness should only improve in the future.
Plus, Brandon Rush's return by a knee injury that cost him virtually the entire 2012-13 season will bring a vital defender and three-point shooter back in the fold. There's certainly no telling how his knee will respond, but if Rush can be anything close to what exactly he was just eighteen months ago, he'll immediately join the rotation as a terrific three-and-D sixth boyfriend.
And then there's Harrison Barnes, that, at just 20 years old, stands to make the most significant leap of any Enthusiast. Everyone saw that he might be a go-to option in the suitable matchup during the playoffs, for the rookie scored at the very least 19 points in some different postseason games.
Barnes is athletically unlimited and every so often last year, it was evident that she was still figuring out ways to harness his considerable normal ability. His ceiling can be tough to project, but it's going to be a borderline stunner in the event that he doesn't eclipse their postseason averages of 14. 1 points, 6. 4 rebounds and 46 percent shooting within the regular season next 12 months.
He'll be the Warriors' the majority versatile offensive player in no time, and if he may well channel his physical skills properly, there's also nothing stopping him from transforming into a truly elite defender. This sounds crazy, but if Barnes (and not necessarily Thompson or David Lee) could be the Warriors' second-leading scorer following that year, don't be taken aback.
It's important to note that usually there are some factors that could hurt the Warriors' development in 2013-14. Their financial situation will, without doubt force them to make a choice from retaining Jarrett Jack (an indefinite free agent) or Carl Landry, who is going to opt out of his contract to use the market.
Those several players were critical so that you can Golden State's success just about all season long, and if young people like Kent Bazemore in addition to Draymond Green aren't quite prepared to assume much larger roles, the departure of Jack port and/or Landry could leave several large voids in the rotation.
Golden California's hulking center was do not ever healthy in 2012-13, using those few, fleeting times when his blown-out rearfoot and balky back experienced halfway decent, Bogut modified the Warriors. In brief stretches in the postseason, he completely decided the paint on both ends—swatting shots, doling out hard fouls and dunking on whatever moved.
Put simply, he made the Warriors an elite team when he has been healthy enough to even hobble onto the in the court. The regular season was nearly an overall total loss for him, and perhaps the playoffs devolved to a depressing series of painkilling injection therapy and uncomfortable grimaces.
For some guy like him, numbers never tell the complete story, but we saw him choose 14 points and 21 rebounds in Game 6 with Denver Nuggets. And he averaged 14 rebounds per game with the first four contests of the series against the San Antonio Spurs.
If—and it's a massive "if"—Bogut may get healthy enough to give the Warriors lots of good games at an occasion, this team is set up to contend next yr.
Golden State's season ended as a result of a more experienced, far more complete Spurs team. There's certainly no shame in that.
But the truth that Curry and the Warriors seem to be looking ahead, unsatisfied using their past achievements, is a great sign for future years. If things break perfect, we might eventually glance back at Curry's postgame press conference quite a bit less the end of an ideal run, but as when when everything started.
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