Even in Year 16 and with a plethora of young talent rising in the NBA, Steph Curry continues to be one of the best players in the association.
And after Curry strung together several impressive performances recently, including a 52-point outburst last week, Draymond Green believes his teammate is making a strong argument to make the All-NBA First Team this season.
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WATCH HERE"He's definitely been locked in," Green said on "The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis." "It's around that time. He's playing with that edge and focus -- and it's showing. I think he's making an argument to snatch that last spot on the All-NBA First Team. He putting up a real case."
In 67 games this season, Curry is averaging 24.4 points on 44.7-percent shooting from the field and 39.6 percent from 3-point range, with 4.4 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.1 steals through 32.1 minutes. Those numbers have only increased since Jimmy Butler's arrival to Golden State, with Curry averaging 27.4 points on 47.1-percent shooting from the field and 40.8 percent from beyond the arc, adding 4.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.2 steals in 25 games.
And last week's big win over the Memphis Grizzlies served as just another reminder that Father Time has yet to catch up to Curry, who dropped 52 points with 12 3-pointers in 36 minutes.
He followed that performance up with a 37-point game against the Los Angeles Lakers and a 36-point showing against the Denver Nuggets in a critical back-to-back stretch, both wins for Golden State.
Elsewhere around the league, superstars such as Nikola Jokić, NBA MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jayson Tatum and Giannis Antetokounmpo seemingly have solidified their case to make the All-NBA First Team -- leaving that final slot open to others such as Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Karl-Anthony Towns, or, as Green predicts, Curry.
Golden State Warriors
Knicks star Jalen Brunson also has been building a strong case to make the team, but the NBA policy mandates that a player must participate in at least 65 games to be eligible for All-NBA teams and other honors. With three regular-season games remaining for New York, Brunson currently sits at 63 games after missing 15 contests with an ankle injury.
Of course, awards never have been top of mind for Curry as his focus lies solely on the Warriors' playoff push in a tight Western Conference. Nonetheless, Green knows it's the season of Curry flurries.
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SIGN UP "We're right in the hunt. We control our own destiny to guarantee ourselves a playoff spot," Green said. "[Curry] said it a few months ago, I just want to play meaningful basketball. After every game, he looks at a couple coaches and he says, 'meaningful basketball.' So I don't think it's necessarily something that's hyping him up per se, more so than the opportunity to play meaningful basketball. Basketball games that really mean something.
"Us going to the playoffs is a very realistic thing so you start to ramp up of getting to that level you need to be in a couple weeks. So I think it's kind of just that time. He's locked in."
Curry made the All-NBA Third Team last season. The last time he received All-NBA First Team honors was in the 2020-21 season, the fourth time in his career making the First Team.
