Steph Curry may have shot 5-of-17 through two games at the 2024 Paris Olympics, but he says that could change “at any time” as Team USA gears up for the knockout round.
“The floodgates could open at any time, so you don’t ever want to get down on yourself,” Curry said, per ESPN’s Brian Windhorst. “You can’t let [missed shots] rob you of all the other stuff you need to do to help the team win.”
Curry told Windhorst he was adjusting to getting fewer shot opportunities than the 19.5 field goal attempts he averaged last season for the Golden State Warriors.
“You go from shooting 20-something a game to maybe 6-to-10, so you have to be ready for them,” Curry said.
Saturday’s group stage finale could present a good opportunity for Curry to regain his scoring touch.
Head coach Steve Kerr said Friday that the United States is hoping to run up its point differential against Puerto Rico to guarantee the tournament’s top seed heading into the knockout round, per The Athletic’s Joe Vardon.
The United States will hope to capture that top seed with a big win against Puerto Rico, which has so far struggled to contain opposing shooters. The team will enter the contest against the United States with a tournament-worst minus-52 point differential through two losses.
Puerto Rico’s defensive struggles will allow Curry to work on his shooting from behind the arc, where he is currently 3-for-13 through two games for Team USA.
One of the best three-point shooters in NBA history missed all six of his long-range shots against South Sudan after going 3-for-7 from deep against Serbia in the group-stage opener.
Curry’s struggles against South Sudan, during which he went 1-for-9 from the field, may have been particularly frustrating for the Warriors star given the shorter three-point line on the international court as well as his team’s overall shooting success.
As a whole, Team USA went 37-for-70 (52.9 percent) from the field and 13-for-30 (43.3 percent) from deep.
But this isn’t the first time Curry has expressed confidence that his tournament play will bounce back.
“The way we play, making good cuts, setting good screens, moving the ball, shots come your way — the floodgates could open at any time,” Curry said after the win over South Sudan, per USA TODAY’s Lindsay Schnell. “You don’t ever want to get down on yourself. You just want to shoot shots you think you can make.”
Curry is expected to get his third starting nod of the tournament when the U.S.’s group-stage finale against Puerto Rico tips off at 11:15 a.m. ET on Saturday.