After securing his sixth Finals trip in eight years, Warriors star Steph Curry finds himself back in familiar territory.
Over the past few years, Golden State struggled to compete in the aftermath of Kevin Durant’s departure and Klay Thompson’s injuries. Instead of pressuring his team to make a move and trade their assets for win-now veterans, Steph let things play out and is being rewarded greatly for his patience.
In a chat with the media after the Game 5 win, Curry explained why he never tried to play GM for his ball club.
“A lot of stars would’ve said, ‘No, you have to trade all these young assets for a star. I need a star,’” Steve Kerr told The Athletic. “Organizationally, the decision was ‘Let’s grow these young guys so we can have a bright future.’ Very few people in Steph’s shoes would’ve said, ‘All right, I’ll embrace it and let’s go to work.’”
Why didn’t Curry ever make noise or leverage his power to reconfigure the Warriors roster to his exact preferences?
“That’s not how I operate,” Curry said. “There were conversations and different paths to take, and we all had conversations about going different ways. But at the end of the day, I have a lot of trust in Bob, a lot of confidence in what we’re about. There was no panic. Obviously, it helps that we had won a couple championships. It affords patience. But there was no panic in terms of getting me, Klay and Draymond another run at it, figuring out how we could get pieces around us to make it work. It’s just patience at the end of the day.”
It’s not that Curry doesn’t have the power to make demands of the front office. As an 8x All-Star, 8x All-NBA player, 2x MVP, and 3x champion, Curry has done more than enough to justify the power he holds.
Unlike other stars of his caliber, Steph chooses to keep his focus on maximizing his game on the court. It’s a demonstration of his humility, a humility that spreads to his teammates and establishes a culture that brings out the best in everyone.
