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Stephen Curry's legend has altered the way in which we perceive the NBA. He is a player who changed the league in multiple ways. Before him, three-pointers were a secondary skill. Centers and forwards dominated the league. Players who could slash, drive or shoot from mid-range were the first choice of teams.
Three-point shooters like Ray Allen and Larry Bird still existed and dominated the league, but they were not defined by their shooting from downtown.
Stephen Curry changed that. He helped start an era of basketball where three-point shooters became an essential part of every team's makeup. And with such shooters on each team, the defenders had to evolve to be able to guard the attacks from downtown.
Recapping Stephen Curry's 2015-16 unanimous MVP season
In honor of the greatest NBA shooter of all-time, we take a look at five stats that defined Stephen Curry's 2015-16 unanimous MVP season.
#5 Averaging 10.2 field goals per game
Chef Curry is a constant threat to opponents. It's not just his shooting from downtown that can render rival teams without any answers. He is capable of launching shots from anywhere on the court. By constantly moving and trying to create space, he splits defense and shoots or feeds the ball to an open teammate.
Matched with his brilliant ball handling, he can even drive and slash. A fearless Stephen Curry can score on much bigger players and score even when faced with fearsome defenders.
In 2015-16, an unstoppable Steph registered an average of 20.2 field goal attempts. With 50.4% efficiency rate, he was able to score an average of 10.2 field goals.
#4 90% free-throw conversion rate
James Harden, in his time with the Houston Rockets, earned notoriety as a foul-drawing player. However, drawing fouls is an impressive skill-set. For one, the ever-ticking clock stops on free-throws.
Scoring points during that pause can sometimes become a turning point for a team. Matching the ability to draw fouls with efficient free-throw shooting can absolutely destroy opponents.
Curry is a player proficient in both drawing fouls and providing excellent results from the free-throw line. In the 2015-16 season, he averaged a 90.8% success rate while shooting free-throws. Of his 400 total attempts in his second MVP season, Stephen Curry scored 363 free-throws.
Also Read: Who are Stephen Curry’s parents?
#3 Averaging 2.1 steals per game
Stephen Curry is seen as an attacking master. However, people often overlook his defensive abilities. Curry is definitely not a post-up defender or even a reliable shot-blocker.
But defense in the NBA is not defined by these paradigms. Defense, in essence, is all about pushing opponents to take difficult shots and creating more possessions for your team.
Stephen Curry, as the Golden State Warriors' best player, is a constant threat to ball handlers. He snatches the ball from blindspots, forces turnovers and creates fastbreaks. In 2015-16 season, he averaged 2.1 steals per game. He led the league in steals that year with this average.
To put things into perspective, Curry stole the ball from his opponents a total of 169 times.
#2 Averaging 30.1 points per game
Another stat that helped him win the 2015-16 MVP was his spectacular scoring streak. Stephen Curry scored a total of 2,375 points. He led the league that season in total points scored and points per game. His average exceeded 30 points per game.
While playing 79 games in the 2015-16 season and averaging 34.2 minutes per game he was able to register 30.1 points per game. In his best performance of the season, Curry scored 53 points against the New Orleans Pelicans.
#1 402 three-pointers in a season
In the modern era of basketball, no one has been a better three-point shooter than the baby faced assassin. Words fall short when defining his greatness. The man, an absolute legend, has made 2,832 three-pointers in his still on-going career. His tally stands only behind Ray Allen's 2,973 three-pointers.
Having made 337 shots from downtown, if Curry can continue to be as lethal from beyond the perimeter, he will definitely become the leading three-point scorer in the history of the NBA.
In 2015-16 alone, Steph added 402 three-pointers to his career stats. Stephen Curry, on average, converted 5.1 of his 11.2 attempts from downtown that season.
No other player has ever crossed the 400 mark in a season. In addition, he managed to achieve 45.4% effieciency rate off of his 886 attempts in the season he won a unanimous MVP award.
Guess the Lakers players!
