Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors hasn’t been playing like himself lately and it’s making fans check their watches again and again, counting down the seconds until Klay Thompson‘s return.
Curry is easily one of the best players in the league and is averaging 26.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.1 assists a game this season – definitely MVP-worthy stats.
But lately, Curry has been suffering the biggest offensive slump of his career.
Wednesday night, Curry scored just 14 points on 5-of-24 shooting and 1-of-9 from three in a 99-82 loss to the Dallas Mavericks.
This followed a game against the Miami Heat when Curry went 3-of-17 and 1-of-10.
As you can see, Curry isn’t being Curry.
A Real Rough Patch
It’s not just the last two games that have troubled Curry.
According to NBC Sports, only once in his last 16 games has Curry shot better than 50 percent from the field, and only four times in that time span has he shot better than 40 percent from beyond the three-point line.
This isn’t the first time Curry has had a spat of bad games so it’s not cause for too much concern.
Curry himself isn’t freaked out by things, saying that he’s just going to “stick to the program” and believe that he will get to the other side of this.
Steph Curry on his recent shooting issues pic.twitter.com/IdPwB4XFeB
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 6, 2022
It’s a bit surprising to see Curry having problems because he’s in the best shape of his career and his team is playing better than they have in years.
Curry, who is only 33 years old, spent the offseason refining his body and getting ready for this important season and he looks incredible.
But there is a lot of pressure on him – especially as the chants of “MVP” grow louder.
That’s why the return of Thompson will be so important and will probably help Curry break out of this slump – or make it less troubling for the Warriors.
Klay To The Rescue
Some people have always seen Thompson as the Robin to Curry’s Batman but there’s so much more to his game than that.
He’s not just a right-hand man for Curry, he’s a player who perfectly complements him while also creating incredible stats of his own.
But it can’t be denied that Thompson is a player similar to Curry – that’s why his re-entry to the team and the NBA can’t come soon enough.
Those deep twos and threes that Curry has been missing lately can be taken by Thompson.
Additionally, Thompson is fast like Curry, physically built like Curry, and plays the game like Curry.
If Curry isn’t feeling like himself, he can quickly pass to Thompson, a guard who poses a threat much like his own.
It was reported that Curry sustained a left quad contusion Wednesday night and now there is debate about if he will play in upcoming games.
Here is the play that'll force Steph Curry to miss tonight's game against the Pelicans. Dorian Finney-Smith's left knee to right above his right knee. Quad issue.
Could it linger longer? Curry last night: "No. I hope not. Body feeds off the mind." pic.twitter.com/RHwSt3JrUK
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) January 6, 2022
If that’s the case, Thompson will be even more important.
Thompson takes the pressure off Curry and fills a void that his rough patch is creating.
For that reason, and many others, Warriors fans cannot wait to see number 11 on the floor again.
NEXT: How The Warriors Should Ease Klay Thompson Into Action