Often times, we can rush to judgment or show our biased fan point of view of a particular pickup/acquisition. What better way to get a better analysis of a player than to look to a former team? We reached out to Kevin Fippin of SacTown Royalty to get some of his thoughts on Seth Curry the player and what we can possibly expect from him moving forward as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
Curry played in 44 games with the Sacramento Kings last season, eventually starting in nine of them. He averaged 6.8 points, 1.5 assists and 1.4 rebounds per game in that time, but it was those last 11 games that had caught the attention of the Mavericks. During that stretch he averaged 15.2 points, 3.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game, including a 2o point, 15 assist game in the second to last game of the season against the Phoenix Suns.
We go to Kevin for his thoughts:
What is your assessment of Seth Curry as an NBA player?
Seth Curry is honestly really tough to assess. Prior to this past season, Seth had only even received 21 minutes of NBA playing time. And despite Kings’ fans clamoring for Seth to finally get his first real chance, George Karl did his damnedest to make sure we got heavy doses of James Anderson (I wish I was kidding) instead. To be fair, horrible luck might have had just as much to do with that as well.
For most of the season the Seth Curry story went like this:
Seth finally gets an opportunity to play > Seth shows a ton of promise > Seth gets sidelined with some freak injury no one even saw happen. Wash – Rinse – Repeat.
It wasn’t until mid-late March that Seth started getting consistent minutes and he REALLY exploded. The Kings desperately needed shooting and someone (anyone really) to show that they were even semi-interested in defending the permitter. Seth brought those things in spades.
To be clear, Seth doesn’t necessarily fit the traditional point guard mold, but he can sure score the crap out of the basketball. That said, he’s a willing passer, has a great handle, doesn’t turn the ball over much at all, and he’s underrated as a playmaker. If he’s your point guard you aren’t giving up much on the offensive side of the ball.
He is very much a defensive tweener however. Despite a high motor and not lacking in effort, he hasn’t displayed the lateral quickness/foot speed needed to effectively guard most point guards in the NBA. He’s also just too small to cover most shooting guards. Having said that, he was a bright spot for the Kings on defense simply because he didn’t refuse to participate in it and he was generally always in the right place on that end of the floor. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say he could be a decent team defender and most teams could use more of those.
Do you think he fits with Rick Carlisle‘s style of play and the Mavericks roster?
I’ve always loved how Rick Carlisle gets the most out of whatever roster you give him. With a guy like Seth on the roster, who can shoot the leather off the ball, and score in so many ways, I just don’t see how he could NOT fit… assuming he ever sees the floor.
With Williams, Matthews, Felton, Anderson, Harris, and Barea on the roster are there any minutes left for Riley Curry’s uncle at the one or the two?!
What player (former or current) do you think his play compares to?
If you could somehow take young/raw versions of Mike Bibby and Jason Terry when they still had something to prove, smash those two together and deprive them of minutes and attention for the better part of 3 years… you’d get Seth Curry. He WANTS to take big shots. Let him and you’ll be happy.
I’m going to leave it at that and let you imagine the possibilities.
Seth Curry is young still. What heights do you see Curry’s game going to in the future?
Every team in the league could use a bit more shooting. If given the opportunity to shine, Seth could have a very long career in this league.
I don’t think we’re talking about an All-Star here but we ARE probably talking about someone who’ll be a fan favorite wherever he goes, and someone who could blossom into a major contributor on a good team.
As an outsider, what are your thoughts on the Dallas Mavericks off-season?
Seriously, why do you have all the guards? Can we have ONE?
Favorite Seth Curry moment?
It’s a tie between this ridiculous Baryshnikov impression and this one below:
Thanks again for the time Kevin! Maybe Mark will throw one of those little guys your way. We are just hoping it’s not the younger Curry.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login
You must log in to post a comment.