Steph Curry Leads First All-Star Voting Returns
The league just can’t get enough of Steph Curry. Despite his slump in the last few games, Curry is still the leading favorite in the NBA’s all-star voting at over 2,500,000 votes, around 200,000 more votes than the 2nd-highest, Kevin Durant.
It’s always been apparent how good the Warriors are for the league. Steph and company are the greatest show on earth when things get rolling, providing nightly spectacles and otherworldly play that just doesn’t seem fathomable. There’s no team quite capable of the marvel every game like the Warriors, and as the leader of the team, Curry is the engine which drives it.
Steph’s popularity, either due to his mind-boggling on-court play or his personality as a universally liked and respected family man off the court, has been a major part of the league’s success as of recent. Few other players ever have gotten MVP chants in opposing arenas after a stellar game, and despite what you see on Twitter, people actually really like the Warriors.
It’s Steph Curry’s skill that garners him the popularity, for the most part. His game-warping shooting alongside a dizzying handle and court vision up there with any other guard in the league makes for a player that sell out arenas just by being on the court. From time-to-time, he’ll have some duds or won’t play on the half of a back-to-back for rest purposes, but for the most part, it’s the expectation of the spectacular that makes him so popular.
A lot of people will say that Kyrie Irving is a more skilled player than Steph, but if you look at the numbers and the eye test, there’s really no weight to that argument. Steph outdoes Kyrie in career shooting percentages from basically everywhere, and there’s not a thing on the court that Kyrie does which Steph cannot. There are a couple things, however, that Steph can do which Kyrie can not, including moving off-ball (yes, that’s a very valuable skill in the modern, motion-heavy NBA) and, of course, having a range that includes anywhere inside half-court.
Basketball’s best show should be the captain of the All-Star game. He’s the West’s leading vote-getter, and he’s bound to turn his play around sometime soon. Maybe having his All-NBA teammate Klay Thompson back would give him the kick he needs to move back to his regular gear. But more likely, he’s just having a rough patch that will average out soon enough. Either way, as of now, Steph Curry is one of your All-Star captains.
(Photo credit: Streeter Lecka / Getty Images)