SACRAMENTO -- Quiet. Reserved. Superstar.
Stephen Curry came into the NBA as a skinny kid out of a small school with a professional pedigree and a pure jump shot. He's developed into the leader of one of the greatest NBA teams ever assembled.
Following shootaround Friday morning at Golden 1 Center, NBC Sports California was able to sit down with the two-time league MVP to discuss Kings sophomore point guard De'Aaron Fox. It's an enlightening conversation from one of the game's great players, as the Warriors star lays down the road map for success for Fox and describes what it takes to make that next step.
NBC Sports: What have you seen from De'Aaron Fox so far in Year 2? You guys both play the point guard spot, but he's a different style of player.
Curry: He's expanded his repertoire a little bit, obviously shooting the ball well, seeing the floor, controlling the pace of the game most of the time when he's in his flow. You've got to deal with his speed, first and foremost, but he's found other ways to use it to his advantage to create space and again, use the guys around him to play-make.
Obviously, he was extremely talented last year, just learning the ropes, but he's taken another step in the right direction, which is cool to see.
When you came into the league, how long did it take to get comfortable running the point guard position?
Sports
It's hard to say, it's the continued evolution of things. Everything was building up toward that first playoff run. You can play regular-season basketball and know what that's like and continue to get better and feel comfortable, and the game slows down.
When you get to a playoff-like environment, I think that was my fourth year when we first made it, that was a whole other level of basketball. That's when you really get convinced, that yeah, I know what I'm doing.
You're a guy who's expanded your game time and time again. How do you do that as a young player? How do you look at your deficiencies and say, 'I'm going to get better at this aspect of my game'?
If you love the game and you really care about taking it serious, and surround yourself with good coaches and teammates that kind of help you and point you in the right direction for wisdom, on and off the court.
In terms of really investing in your game, you've got to put the time in over the summers to get better, be honest with yourself, in terms of where your deficiencies are and where you can work on your game, and not be afraid to get out of your comfort zone a little bit.
It's a process, but the guys that really make that jump from potential to making an impact in this league consistently are the guys that just love the game and want to be around it, and again, put the time in.
Is there ever a point where you stop learning, stop trying to change?
Nah. Everything's just different based on the context of the season, what goals you kind of put in front of you. I'm in my 10th year and still feel like I'm learning stuff about the game, about myself, and you're constantly challenged.
For me, this team is different than it was last year or the year before, even though we're chasing the same goals. It's requiring a different level of focus and adjustments. So you've got to be on your toes at all times.
