Steph reflects on Warriors' assist record, evolution as passer

Share

Steph Curry added to his legacy Monday night.

Early in the third quarter of the Warriors' blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center, Curry hit Kelly Oubre Jr. for a transition layup. That assist, Curry's second of the game, saw the two-time NBA MVP pass Guy Rodgers as the Warriors' all-time assist leader with 4,856.

After the loss, Curry reflected on his latest achievement, being quick to give credit to all of his teammates, past and present, who made the accomplishment possible.

"It's special," Curry said of the milestone. 'It's sort of a longevity award, in terms of playing for the same franchise for 12 years and hopefully a lot longer. There have been some greats that have come through here for however long. Any time you've done something or reached a level that is the top of the list for a franchise that's pretty special. I wish it was under different circumstances with the game tonight, but I can take a second and appreciate that for sure. A lot goes into that. I've had so many great teammates throughout the years. Obviously, I love to score but the ability to set other guys up -- assists only count if other guys score so that makes it a pretty special record."

Curry's ability to facilitate has grown throughout his career. The star point guard sees his evolution as a passer as a product of opportunity and trust.

"I got the ball in my hands a lot more than I did earlier in my career," Curry said of his growth as a facilitator. "That's mostly like pick-and-roll type situations where you can read defenses, getting stronger where you get in the paint and you can make plays by kicking it to the weak side and you're not getting bumped off your lines. I still try crazy stuff -- wrap around, behind the back, left hand -- all types of crazy passes just because I feel like I can make them.

"Thankfully, I got a little bit longer leash with that than I did earlier in my career. But the rest of it is just seeing the floor, the game slowing down, balancing scoring, playmaking and reading the defense. It comes with experience."

RELATED: Steph and Kerr's tutelage of young trio key to Warriors' rebirth

While Curry's shooting rightfully gets all the attention, he has been one of the best passers in the NBA for a number of years and likely never will be passed as the Warriors' all-time assist leader. When all is said and done, Curry probably will hold almost all of the Warriors' franchise records, save one or two.

Just another note to put at the end of the basketball legend's résumé.

Download and subscribe to the Dubs Talk Podcast

Contact Us