Stephen Curry’s name was surprisingly left off the final returns of the 2024 All-Star starters list. Having missed the cut for the first time since 2013 (in a healthy season), Curry was asked how he feels about this new development. Bit instead of taking a shot at his competitors, he gave them their due credit while acknowledging where he’s at at this point of his career.
“Those two guys (Luka/Shai) are playing amazing, they deserve it,” said Curry. “Hopefully I’m there in whatever capacity, but to still be doing it at this stage is always a challenge. Can’t ever take it for granted how hard it is to be recognized in that way every year.”
As a 4x champion, 2x MVP, 9x All-Star, 2x scoring leader, and 9x All-NBA player, Curry has nothing left to prove as an NBA legend, and his legacy is already set in stone as one of the All-Time best. But at 35 years old, Curry’s best days on the court may be behind him now and we’re seeing that played out in the All-Star votes, which featured both Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgous-Alexander as the leads.
New Faces Of The West
While LeBron James and Kevin Durant are still very much part of the conversation, the West belongs to a different group of players now and the stage is set for a new round of title contenders. At the top of the list is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the first-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. With averages of 31.1 points, 6.4 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game on 54.6% shooting, Shai has been an MVP candidate all season long and he’s got the Thunder looking like the favorites to come out of the West.
Meanwhile, Luka Doncic continues a streak of excellent campaigns and he’s doing it all for a Mavericks team that has been rocked with inconsistency all season long. He’s putting up 33.6 points, 9.3 assists, and 8.5 rebounds per game this season and is on track to make his fifth All-Star game in six years. At 24 and 25, respectively, Luka and Shai are the future of the league and they are the torchbearers of the next generation of basketball legends. As for Stephen Curry, only time will tell if he can rally for one last time but the window is closing to make a run this season.
Curry’s Last Stand?
Even at 35 years old, the baby-faced assassin is putting up some big numbers. With averages of 26.8 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game on 44.8% shooting Steph is still one of the best players in the game and there’s no doubt that he still has years left of superstar play left in him. But we’ve seen this season how far the Warriors have fallen from their championship form of a few years ago.
With Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Draymond Green playing like a shell of themselves, the burden is just too great for Steph to overcome. Whether it’s by the deadline or this upcoming summer, the Warriors will make a move to maximize what’s left of Curry’s All-NBA years and it seems nobody is off the table as they seek to upgrade at nearly every position.
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