But forget about his potential for the future. Check out his skills right now.
“Skills” being the operative word — on Saturday night in Los Angeles, the Golden State Warriors’ second-year point guard took down an impressive field in the All-Star Skills Challenge, beating four of the league’s best.
Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, John Wall and Russell Westbrook tried to match the crafty youngster, but they all failed. Curry’s combination of speed, agility, scoring and passing ability were too much. Curry completed the point guard obstacle course in 28.2 seconds in the final round, walloping Westbrook’s time of 44.2.
It’s a silly exhibition, sure. Ultimately, no one really cares about your knack for running around metal posts or throwing a ball through a tire. But Curry exhibited poise and grace in beating out the stellar field of guards at the Staples Center this weekend. It’s yet another indicator that the Warriors’ guard might be ready to break into the league’s upper echelon of point men.
On Tuesday night, Curry will open the season’s second half against a guy who’s already in that echelon. That would be Rajon Rondo, whose Celtics visit the Warriors for game one of a four-game West road trip.
We’ve never seen Rondo in the skills contest before, and Rondo said last week that he’d never want to compete as long as he’s still playing in the All-Star Game itself. But nevertheless, we’ve already witnessed Rondo’s repertoire as a ball-handler, a scorer and a playmaker.
In a modern NBA climate where elite point guards are popping up seemingly every week, Curry has emerged as yet another one. On Tuesday night, we’ll see him and Rondo go head-to-head at Oracle Arena in Oakland.
