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Stephen Curry Built For FIBA Championship

By John Woodcock

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The Team USA roster for the 2014 FIBA World Championship came out today and one guy on the roster caused no surprise whatsoever. That was former Davidson guard Stephen Curry, who was listed as a point guard on the roster.

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    • Curry is a great choice for the international game, with his shooting and offensive creativity. Often international competition comes down to who is shooting threes, and Curry can do that in spades. He is also an underrated creator, averaging 8 assists per game last season. Curry has gone to say that he is a better offensive player than LeBron James. Whether there is any truth to that of not, the 6’3” combo guard marks a lot of boxes for Team USA.

    Aug 22, 2014; New York, NY, USA; United States guard Stephen Curry (4) shoots over Puerto Rico guard Jose Juan Barea (5) during the third quarter of a game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

    Another neat thing about Curry is that Team USA is going to allow him to operate off the ball at times. Teams will not be able to focus on stopping Curry as the point of the defense. How scary is it going to be for some defense to watch Derek Rose bring up the ball and then drive. The zone sags toward him and he passes to DeMarcus Cousins. The zone collapses on him and throws the pass to a wide open Curry for a corner three.

    I mention zone defenses because they are prominent in international play, especially among teams that do not have the size of the USA roster. Curry is the bane of zone defenses. The easiest way to beat a zone is to shoot over it. Curry will have no problem with that.

    The hope is that Curry will have a good run in the FIBA tournament to set up being on the Olympic team in 2016. That could be truly scary for opponents, as Curry will be sharing the court at times with James and Kevin Durant. Who do you defend? Even if you decide not to defend Curry, you’re doomed.

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