Walcoff: Curry will get there, but give him time

Stephen Curry, the Warriors’ first-round draft pick, is showing flashes of brilliance in Las Vegas, but it will take some time to develop his skills. (Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images)

Lower your expectations. Stephen Curry is not going to be the NBA Rookie of the Year as proclaimed on draft night by Hall of Famer Dick Vitale.

Sitting courtside at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas on Monday, I watched the Warriors’ top pick have his best game of the four he’s played so far in the Summer League: 23 points, five steals and four turnovers in a 97-69 rout of the Detroit Pistons.

Golden State has Curry playing point guard virtually every minute he’s on the floor with mixed results. Matched up much of the game against the more powerfully built Jeremy Pargo, an undrafted rookie from Gonzaga, and former Charlotte Hornets guard Sean Singletary, Curry played smart and surprisingly tough defense holding Singletary to 0-5 from the field, while limiting Pargo to a 5-12 shooting night.

He forced Pargo into three turnovers including a pick-your-pocket steal in open court which resulted in a breakaway layup. While Curry also looked remarkably poised running the offense, when attacking the basket he was wildly erratic. Most telling was a clear out play in the final seconds of the first half. Curry took the ball at the top of the key, drove down the lane with his left hand only to have Pargo block his pull-up right-handed floater at the buzzer. That was one of a half a dozen shots around the basket that he couldn’t finish.

After the game, Warriors assistant Keith Smart, in his eighth season coaching in the Summer League said, “We’re putting him in the role he’s eventually going to be in. He’s set up to be a decision maker. He’s going to have his ups and downs. He’s doing a good job moving his feet defensively. Shots he’s missing he will eventually make. It’s not a big issue. It’s going to come.”

Heading into tonight’s final Warriors game in Vegas against the Hornets, Curry is averaging a team-high 36 minutes, 15 points, four assists, three steals and three turnovers. He’s shooting only 32 percent of field goals, including 6 for 19 on three-pointers.
The stroke isn’t there now, but you can see how sweet it is. Curry, who led the NCAA in scoring 28.6 points per game at Davidson last season, told me, “I’m doing pretty well, making progress and definitely getting better each game. I need to be more aggressive, limit the turnovers and the shots will fall. I’ve got to get my feet under me.”

In the next week or two, Curry says he will meet his projected backcourt partner Monta Ellis for the first time and is, “looking forward to getting some chemistry going at practice.”

At 6’3” and only 180 pounds, Curry will have a hard time beating bigger, stronger guards off the dribble. He’s quick, but not as explosive as the cadre of talented point guards that fill the Western Conference: Chris Paul, Tony Parker, Russell Westbrook, Aaron Brooks and cagey veterans like Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Derek Fisher and Chauncey Billups. Carelessness with the ball is another issue.

Even while playing shooting guard in college and not handling the rock as much, Curry averaged three turnovers a game. Then there’s the matter of playing time with a Golden State roster overflowing with guards: Ellis, Kelenna Azubuike, Anthony Morrow, Marco Belinelli, C.J. Watson and newly acquired Speedy Claxton and Acie Law.

Stephen, (pronounced STEPH-on, because his mom called him that), says he also needs a nickname. While his teammates work on that, remember Curry is an acquired taste that is best served hot. Hopefully Bay Area hoop fans won’t have to wait too long for him to get cooking.

KGO (810 AM) Sports Director Rich Walcoff can be heard weekdays from 5 to 9 a.m. on the KGO morning news and is also the co-host of “Raiders Gameday” and “Recap” talk shows on KSFO (560 AM). He can be reached at RichWalcoff@gmail.com.