PARIS — Stephen Curry is trying to soak in his first Olympic experience, attending events like volleyball and the highly anticipated women’s gymnastics all-around final, all while thrilling the huge international crowds with his legendary pregame shooting routines.
As for his actual play, though, well that hasn’t yet hit Curry’s Olympic ideal.
Generally, Team USA has gotten strong play up and down the lineup over their first two games in France. The Americans have banked a pair of comfortable victories over Serbia and South Sudan, already clinching a spot in the medal round. Curry, though, has found himself in a mini shooting slump.
Curry went just 1-of-9 and 0-of-6 on 3-pointers Wednesday against South Sudan, while the rest of the team shot 59% overall and 54% from beyond the arc. Over his past four games, including the two exhibition games Team USA played in London, the Golden State Warriors star is shooting just 33% (13-of-39) overall and 24% (7-of-29) on 3-pointers.
So far this summer, the best 3-point shooter in the history of the sport has not benefited from the shorter international 3-point line (22 feet, 1¾ inches, compared to 23 feet, 9 inches in the NBA). Curry shot 44% on 3-pointers in the 2014 World Cup in Spain, the last time he played for the national team using the FIBA 3-point line.
“You’re always annoyed,” said Curry, who will get a chance to find some rhythm before the medal round in the U.S.’s final pool play game Saturday against Puerto Rico.
“You want to make shots.”
Curry admitted he’s dealing with the adjustment of having fewer opportunities on the loaded roster. He’s getting an average of just nine shots a game in the seven exhibition and Olympic games the U.S. has played thus far, less than half of the 20 he’s averaged over the past six seasons with Golden State. Over the past nine seasons, he’s had a total of 10 NBA games in which he attempted nine or fewer shots.
“I know teams are going to be locked in on tracking me,” Curry said. “So that puts a little more pressure on the shots you get. I kind of forced a couple [vs. South Sudan]. You go from shooting 20-something a game to maybe 6-to-10, so you have to be ready for them.”
Team USA coach Steve Kerr brushed away any concern, having seen Curry go through occasional rough patches only to explode out of them with giant games an uncountable number of times over the past decade he’s coached Curry at Golden State. The only time in the past three NBA seasons that Curry shot as poorly as he has over the past four games was in January 2022 — and that season famously ended with the Warriors’ fourth title in eight seasons.
“Steph is Steph. I’ve seen him have tough nights before and then he gets 40 the next night,” Kerr said. “I’ve seen him many times be 1-of-9 in the first half and then explode for 30 points in the second. FIBA is a little different, this is not the NBA. It’s a 40-minute game. You’re playing fewer minutes, you’re getting fewer shots.”
Curry did make three 3-pointers in the Olympic opener against Serbia. Two weeks ago in Abu Dhabi he crushed the Serbians for six 3-pointers, scoring 18 points in his first 11 minutes on the floor before being subbed out. Because on this Team USA, even if you’re red-hot there’s no guaranteed playing time or shot numbers.
No one has to remind Curry of the shooter’s mentality; confidence is not an issue for him. But right now he’s working on patience.
“The floodgates could open at any time so you don’t ever want to get down on yourself,” Curry said. “You can’t let [missed shots] rob you of all the other stuff you need to do to help the team win.”
