Poole gives Steph massive praise for defensive ability originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
There are many reasons for the Warriors‘ sizzling 8-1 start to the NBA season, but Golden State’s defense has to be at the top of the list.
Through nine games, the Warriors lead the NBA in net rating, defense, rank second in field goal percentage allowed and are third in 3-point percentage allowed. Draymond Green gets a lot of praise for his work on the defensive end for Golden State, and rightfully so, but guard Jordan Poole pointed to another Warriors leader who he believes is one of the best defenders at his position.
One Steph Curry.
“It’s huge. Obviously, we know the offensive punch that Steph’s going to give us,” Poole told reporters Sunday after the Warriors’ win over the Houston Rockets. “I want to say in his position, Steph’s up there for one of the best defenders in the league right now, so being able to just have the best scorer in the league, the best shooter in the league, go buckle down on the defensive end as well just gives us that much energy, so much life as a unit.”
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Curry’s defense has long been the subject of unwarranted criticism. The two-time NBA MVP is an outstanding team defender and has worked hard to make himself into a quality on-ball defender. This included bulking up, cutting down on the reach in and not giving up the back-door layups he did earlier in his career.
Last season, Curry averaged 1.2 steals and 2.1 deflections per game. So far this season, Curry is averaging 2.0 steals, 0.9 blocks and 2.4 deflections per game while posting a defensive rating of 97.
The Chef has been cooking on both ends of the court this season.