In a recent interview, new Portland Trail Blazers guard Seth Curry talks about getting back into game-shape by applying his brother’s work ethic to his summer workouts this offseason.
As Portland Trail Blazers guard Seth Curry has emerged from his brother’s shadow his last couple seasons, that doesn’t mean he still can’t learn a few things from the two-time MVP.
Seth recently spoke with USA Today Sports about his preparation for returning to the league after missing all of last season due to a fractured left tibia he suffered in the 2016-17 season as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
In his 70 games for the Mavs, Curry averaged 12.8 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game on deadeye 42.5 percent shooting from deep.
Offseason training is a grind for any athlete but it’s especially hard work for those coming back after missing more than a calendar year.
No doubt Curry wants to come back improved for this upcoming year with the Blazers. In order to do that, he knows he will have to apply an MVP-caliber work-ethic to his summer workouts.
In the interview, he mentions watching how Stephen prepares for a season.
He says:
"Just being in the gym with my brother, just see his work-ethic, the way he prepares for a season. [Seeing] the subtle things he does in the offseason to get his body ready and his game ready to go a full 82 game season has helped me a long way in my career.So, being able to watch Steph prepare his game, prepare his body for the season has allowed me to take some of the stuff he does and apply it to myself."
While Seth has almost certainly always practiced alongside his brother, it will be interesting to see how this offseason working alongside Steph translates to the court next season. After all, Seth had a career-year with the Mavericks two seasons ago and has yet to prove that he can continue to grow as a point guard and sharpshooter.
If Curry can continue improving his shot and ability as a playmaker, he will be useful in a plethora of Blazers lineups. He could be anything from a spot-up shooter for when Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, and Evan Turner are facilitating the offense, to an explosive ballhandler in the pick-and-roll when he’s running the show.
Later in the interview, Curry mentions some of the focus he and his trainer are putting on lateral movement:
"Today we’re working on a lot of lateral movement to start out, a lot of hip-work and leg-work, to be explosive on the court. Whether it’s working on your first step – beating guys off the dribble – or defensive movements and sliding and things like that."
If Curry can improve on the defensive end, he will be a complete upgrade over Shabazz Napier, the backup guard he is replacing. While Napier was more than competent in this role, Curry may prove to be a more explosive and better defensive option.
With all of Curry’s work during the offseason, he may turn into a truly versatile player at either guard position.
And it seems that Curry is enjoying watching himself work hard and improve every day. To end the interview he said: “A big key to preparation for me is to try and enjoy the process.”