When Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant teamed up a decade ago, their union created perhaps the most lethal scoring duo in NBA history and threatened to serve as the foundation of a dynasty that might have rivaled Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. Curry and Durant were both former MVPs and scoring champions in their primes at 28 years old when they began their first title chase together in 2016-17. As the Golden State Warriors raced out to a 20-3 start that fall, they were so thoroughly dominant that critics quickly deemed the pairing "unfair." There have been two key developments since those halcyon early days: The Curry and Durant partnership disbanded quicker than anyone could have expected, while Curry and Durant (both now 38) have managed to sustain elite play much longer than anyone anticipated. The first point is well-worn. After two championships and a torn Achilles, the nomadic Durant left the Bay Area to start fresh with the Brooklyn Nets. Meanwhile, Curry has become one of the NBA's all-time single-franchise icons. The second point has been obscured by LeBron James' record-setting longevity. As James has rewritten the record books and kept playing into his 40s, Curry and Durant have prospered late in their respective careers like few superstars before them. With Curry's Warriors and Durant's Houston Rockets set to face off Wednesday for the first time this season (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) let's take a moment to appreciate their remarkable staying power a full decade after they started torching the league as teammates.
Steph is rivaling his unanimous MVP season -- 10 years later Curry enters Wednesday averaging 30.6 points per game and shooting 45.6% on 3-pointers, making him a prime example of the adage that "shooting helps you age well." The two-time MVP is making more 3s per game and shooting a higher percentage this season than he did during the 2016-17 campaign, his first alongside Durant. Put another way, there has been only one player in NBA history to match Curry's current 3-point volume (4.7 per game) and efficiency (45%) for an entire season. That was Curry himself during his 2015-16 unanimous MVP season. Curry's status as the best shooter ever is hardly the only part of his game that has aided his staying power. His physical fitness, ballhandling ability, poise and comfort in Golden State's offense have all helped him continue to produce like clockwork. "Work ethic and good genes," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said earlier this week. "[Curry] has been blessed with a body that has held up. But he's also earned that through his strength training, his conditioning, [and] his fitness level is just off the charts. It's so remarkable at 38 to watch him still do what he does." Perhaps the most important change to Curry's shot profile is how few of his 3-pointers are now self-created. During his 2016 MVP season, 55% of Curry's 3s were assisted by his teammates. That figure has steadily risen over the past five years to a career-high 74% this season. Slowly but surely, Curry has exchanged some of his most grandiose shots -- off-the-dribble 3s or transition bombs -- for catch-and-shoot attempts. Of course, Curry still must work awfully hard before the catch to free himself from attentive defenses. Curry's continued hot shooting and Golden State's ability to support him have him bending the typical age curve in a never-before-seen fashion.
Source: ESPN NBA · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing