"He definitely was going to try and take Gary Payton’s starting spot" - Steph Curry on son Canon not wanting to leave the court during Nuggets vs Warriors

Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins received their All-Star rings before the Golden State Warriors' game against the Denver Nuggets. A heartwarming scene took place just before tipoff as the respective kids of the superstar basketball players handed out the rings to their fathers.

Canon Curry, Steph Curry’s adorable three-year-old son, stole the entire show as he simply ran around the Warriors’ half of the court, refusing to leave. At one point, the elder Curry had to step in to corral his energetic boy so the game could begin.

In a postgame interview after the Warriors’ heartbreaking 117-116 loss to the Denver Nuggets, Curry had a hilarious explanation for why his son didn’t want to go out.

“He definitely was going to try and take Gary Payton’s starting spot… If I let him, he would have stayed out there the entire 48 minutes.”

Canon Curry is a regular presence in the Golden State Warriors’ facility. He’s never shied away from interacting with his father’s teammates, particularly Draymond Green, which is why he’s comfortable just being himself.

It came as no surprise then that the kid had a blast wildly running around the floor despite Steph Curry’s humorous demands to stop.

Steph Curry, mentioning Gary Payton II, was a nod to the combo guard’s spectacular game against reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets. Despite standing at only 6"3', the defensive whiz had stretches where he shut down the towering and ultra-skilled Jokic.

Payton even had the best defensive play of the game by stuffing the 6"11' Serbian before falling to the ground to do his push-ups.

Meanwhile, Curry had 25 points, three rebounds and six assists against the Nuggets. However, he was horrible from his usual playing ground, i.e., the three-point distance. Curry made only one out of seven attempts from beyond the arc.

It can be easily argued that Payton II had a bigger impact. The unheralded role player had 12 points, four rebounds, six steals and that Sportscenter-worthy block on Jokic.

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Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors have to get back to their defensive identity

The return of Draymond Green and James Wiseman should bring the Warriors' defense back on top. [Photo: Blue Man Hoop]

Losing Draymond Green has greatly hurt the Golden Warriors on defense, particularly in the last five games. They are currently first in the league with a defensive rating of 104.6. However, in their recent 1-4 run, that defense has crashed to 118.7 DRTG, which is the worst in the league.

They have now lost back-to-back games to the heavily-undermanned LA Clippers and the Denver Nuggets who didn’t have Jamal Murray and Otto Porter Jr. One of the biggest reasons for the defense’s struggle is the lack of height and heft in the interior. Against teams with bruising and versatile bigs, they have struggled.

The good news is Draymond Green should be back sometime after the All-Star Game, while James Wiseman could also join them sooner rather than later. Once they get their reinforcements back, Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors should be ready for the postseason grind.