Steph Curry has not been participating in the Warriors minicamp that runs through Oct. 6, and coach Steve Kerr hasn't seen his superstar for a few weeks.
Meanwhile, Curry has been devoting time to family. And, according to his wife, Ayesha, serving some of that time as in-home tutor for daughters Riley and Ryan.
Cause for concern? Not in the slightest. Not from the coach. Or anybody else.
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“I just saw Steph a few weeks ago, maybe two weeks before this camp started,” Kerr said Wednesday after the team’s practice at Chase Center. “Maybe I'm wrong, maybe it was three weeks before camp. But he was coming into our building quite a bit and getting plenty of work in and he looked in amazing shape. It's not at all surprising.”
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So, the two-time NBA MVP isn't sitting around with a ruler in one hand and a donut in the other -- despite his fondness for the occasional junk-food fix.
Golden State Warriors
Kerr’s assessment jibes with the recent update from Curry’s trainer, Brandon Payne, who said his client has been anything but idle since the Warriors’ season ended in March.
“From a cardiovascular standpoint, he's always in such great condition there he just never really gets out of shape,” Payne told NBC Sports NBA Insider Tom Haberstroh last week. “So, he looks really good, really confident, really strong and I'm really pleased where he is.”
Curry, 32, might always have a lean physique, but he has carefully added considerable muscle and definition over the years. The 6-foot-3 guard entered the league in 2009 at about 180 pounds and now weighs about 195.
He’s entering the third year of a five-year, $201 million contract signed in 2017. Curry can be an unrestricted free agent in 2022, at which time he’ll be 34 -- and seeking at least one more massive payday.
Which explains the intensified workout sessions under Payne’s supervision, in coordination with the team’s training staff. It’s similar to the Jordan Plan, followed by Michael Jordan who add functional bulk after age 30. It’s about longevity.
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“I've never been around anybody who prepares any better than Steph,” Kerr said. “He’s going to leave no stone unturned.
“We’ve been in touch and texted in the last week, and I have no doubt that he's working his tail off and he's going to have a phenomenal season for us. There's little doubt in my mind because I've seen the conditioning and the work that he's put in, and he looks better than ever.”