Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry was asked about his thoughts on the individual scoring explosions that the league has seen recently — specifically Joel Embiid’s 70-point night, Luka Doncic’s 73-point game, Karl Anthony Towns’ 62-point game, and Devin Booker’s 62-point display.
Curry said that there are a lot of factors why this is happening — the talent in the league, officiating, and lack of physicality on the defensive end.
“It’s probably a combination of guys being able to put the ball in the basket with Luka, Joel, KAT, Book; they’re perennial scorers; that’s what they do. The level of it and how, in a short time span, guys get hot and build confidence, floodgates open, and they’re obviously capable of doing that,” Curry said.
What Curry thinks the league needs to correct
The greatest shooter in NBA history also noticed how officiating has allowed the league to lean more on offense. In other words, it’s more difficult to be physical now on the defensive side of the court, which is why scorers are protected more than ever.
This favors versatile bucket-getters, and Embiid, Doncic, Booker, and KAT all belong in that company.
“It’s interesting how the game is refereed. You’ve seen it a little tonight. It’s hard to be as physical as you want with some pattern with how things are called, and guys are taking advantage of it. If you can obviously score in all three levels and get to the foul line, you’ll have a night,” Curry said.
“It’s great for the league in showing skill sets and the variety of how guys can score, but there’s some stuff to correct as well,” he added.
It’s the era for professional scorers
Legendary highflyer Vince Carter shares Curry’s take on today’s game. Carter once said that if you want to enjoy scoring, this is the era because it’s easier than ever. Also, it helps that players are no longer as physical as they used to be.
“If you go back and watch film of the way guys like [Michel] Jordan, Kobe [Bryant], all these guys were scoring with the fouls they weren’t calling that’s a foul in today’s game. These people were averaging 28 to 30 points plus with that defense back in the day. That’s why I say it was tougher to score, tougher to play [back then], but some guys can adjust to it in today’s game,” Carter said in his appearance on the “Knuckleheads Podcast.”
As the game changes over time, so does the skill set required for players to thrive. That’s just part of the game’s growth, and even if many don’t like it, it will be hard to change it unless, as Curry pointed out, the way games are officiated changes.