It’s difficult to get over a grand total of two Philadelphia 76ers being responsible for all second-half baskets against the Atlanta Hawks in a crucial Game 5.
One of the Sixers responsible is to be expected in franchise player Joel Embiid. The other has been the greatest offseason addition for any contender.
Someone who is no longer just another guy. Someone who is not just a superstar’s little brother any more.
Seth Curry is not only a Splash Brother by blood. He’s a Splash Brother by game. The house may be burning in Philadelphia, but one of the few pillars keeping it from crumbling to ashes is the emergence of Seth Curry. In just his first (of hopefully many) season with Philadelphia, three things have stood out.
His Contract
Here are the numbers for some of the league leaders in 3P% this season:
- Joe Harris – 47.5 3P%. 4 years, $75 million
- Marcus Morris – 47.3 3P%. 4 years, $64 million
- Luke Kennard – 44.6 3P%. 3 years, $41.2 million
- Bogdan Bogdanovic – 43.8 3P%. 4 years, $72 million.
- Seth Curry – 45 3P%. 4 years, $32 million.
Setting aside the timing of when these individuals got paid is a critical factor in comparing contracts. For an elite skill on par with his peers above, Curry’s contract is highway robbery.
The percentage is hardly a fluke either. Curry shoots that efficiency on a comparable number of attempts, makes and minutes per game with everyone else on that list. Given that shooting is a skill that ages well, Seth can expect another payday towards the end of this contract, and rightfully so at this pace. He’s not as good of a defender as Harris or the overall playmaker Bogdanovic is.
Given the supply and demand for such an elite skill, however, Curry has made himself invaluable.
He scores in a variety of ways
Most people will see him just as a catch-and-shoot guy. It’s undoubtedly his biggest strength for a team with a visionary in Simmons and a low-post superstar who commands double teams regularly.
However, he’s become much more as an effective cutter. In the clip below, he catches a lazy defender sleeping who expects him to stay beyond the three point line, which leads to an easy basket. He is also comfortable creating shots for himself with the right amount of space.
Essentially, Curry has become a capable multi-dimensional scorer with one of those dimensions being his samurai sword. He’s someone who is deadly off the catch, but more than comfortable with ball in his hands. He’s not just a J.J. Redick replacement, he’s become more than that.
Team Chemistry
If retained next season, it will mark the first time in his career he’s played for the same team in consecutive seasons. Before this year, he’s played for Memphis, Cleveland, Phoenix, Sacramento, Dallas, Portland and Dallas again.
He’s a shining example of what perseverance plus finding the right fit can do for a player.
Think of the wonders it will do to work with the same coaching staff and player core for a second consecutive season. Curry is a vital floor spacer for both Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. He helps space the floor for Ben allowing him to attack the paint with more freedom. He is also developing a pick-and-roll chemistry with Embiid on par with the Embiid-Redick pairing.
Beyond those pairings, there is no one on the team that is in Curry’s stratosphere as a floor spacer. While elite shooters aren’t exactly sitting around in the bargain bin, especially at Curry’s price, it’s a start. It shows tangible evidence of what good to great consistent shooters can do for this team. It was a major selling point behind the drafting of Isaiah Joe, someone who already has the green light in the limited minutes he received in his rookie season in both the NBA and the G League.
Curry shows the standard that has to be met for the team to keep moving forward.
Little Brother Can Be Big Too
I get the pains of being a little brother. Constantly living in your brother’s shadow can make it difficult to carve out your own path. Every player has clawed their way towards carving a consistent role on an NBA team. It took longer for Seth Curry than for others, and is more a product of him as an individual than what his last name is.
The Curry acquisition may have been the savviest move of last offseason. It’s certainly the highlight of Daryl Morey’s Sixers tenure. While another early playoff exit has justifiably shifted the focus to the team’s two stars, let’s not forget one that has shone just as bright once he was given a chance.
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