In the past several years basketball has shifted dramatically on offense as teams look to shoot more from the 3-point line. The Miami Heat were one of the first teams to shift to 5-out lineups with an emphasis on spacing, but it was the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry that really led the charge.
Curry raised eyebrows during his time at Davidson with his sweet shooting, but he elevated his game to a completely different level once he got to the NBA. Curry has unlimited range, so defenses are forced to account for him no matter where he is on the court.
The guard has no issues pulling up from anywhere and his 3-point shooting has caused nightmares for opposing defenses. Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel believes Curry is solely responsible for how offenses look to score today.
“Steph changed the game,” Vogel said. “That’s the simplest way to put it. He changed everything. The whole mindset of offensively, what good shot selection means. I think he changed and broke that mold entirely and made it a good shot to rise up off of screens but also to shoot with range when you have that type of ability.
“I think that’s the main thing, but the way they played with the movement and without bigs — or Draymond at the 5 — I think their whole culture and style of play helped transition the league into what we know as the modern NBA with a lot of 3-point shooting and whatnot. I think Steph deserves a lot of credit for that.”
Every team in the NBA has been forced to shoot more 3-pointers as it is usually the only way to keep pace in games. The Lakes are closer toward the bottom of the league in regards to 3-point attempts, but still are shooting much more than in years past.
Fortunately, the Lakers are able to complement their 3-point shooting with paint scoring and are currently one of the best scoring teams during the 2020-21 season.
Vogel says defending Damian Lillard is different from Curry
The Lakers won back-to-back games against the Portland Trail Blazers and Warriors, impressive victories considering they were up against the likes of Damian Lillard and Curry. The two point guards are threats to score off the bounce from deep, but Vogel explained that defending them requires different schemes.
“They’re very similar, but not the same,” Vogel explained. “We definitely had some positive sequences in terms of how to bring double-teams to Dame without gettin burned on the backside. Hopefully we have some carryover from the postgame film session [Saturday] cleaning some of the things up we did well and things to improve on. Hopefully we see some of that tonight.”
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
