His own man

“And now… starting at guard, No. 30…”

No, not two-time NBA MVP, Steph Curry. Not Dell Curry, a man with an accomplished 16-year NBA career.

Seth Curry. A player who has burst out of a monumental shadow and onto the scene in the NBA.

Unlike his older brother, Steph, and father, Dell, Seth wasn’t a first-round draft pick. Actually, coming out of college in 2013, he wasn’t drafted at all. Since then, Seth has been on almost as many teams as he’s had birthdays.

As Seth bounced around the NBA and D-League, he watched his brother win an NBA championship and back-to-back MVP awards. Heck, he even saw his niece, Riley Curry, make her rise to fame as she hijacked Steph at the podium throughout his magical run in 2015. Through it all, he remained patient, craving an opportunity.

This isn’t something that just started in 2013. Seth grew up around the game while his father played for the Charlotte Hornets.

“It was fun,” Seth said. “I got to be around NBA arenas, NBA players and practices and follow him to work. He always brought us around as much as he could. It also came with some pressure and some eyes growing up in Charlotte, where he played, but all in all, it was a great benefit to me in the long run.”

Seth and Steph were practically raised in the gym, but they weren’t too much different than the other kids. Seth admits he was a bit of a late bloomer, but he also had the benefit of having someone to look up to.

“Steph is the bigger brother so I always tried to follow him around as much as I could.”

During Seth’s final two years of high school in his hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, Steph was starring collegiately at Davidson. He could feel the buzz build around him as big bro broke records. He handled the pressure like you would expect from someone who’s been around basketball their whole life.

He put a bow on a stellar high school career, averaging just over 22 points, five rebounds and five assists per game in his senior year. That time at Charlotte Christian was beneficial in more ways than one.

“Going to the same high school with Steph, I think it’s kind of prepared him for what he’s dealing with in the NBA with his brother having so much success and him trying to find a niche,” Dell Curry said. “It’s really helped him to focus in and not worry about playing under that shadow but being the player that he is, the best he can and get ready to have a good career.”

Seth finally got the extended opportunity he was searching for in Dallas. A place where he’s looked at as Seth Curry, no strings attached.

“Any time I get questions about it, my answer is always hey, let’s let this guy be his own man,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “There are similarities to Seth and Steph but they’re not the same player. Seth does things a little bit differently and in his own way, he’s original.”

It’s a sentiment that was echoed by Harrison Barnes, a guy who the Mavs signed to a max contract this past offseason and someone who spent his first four years in the NBA alongside Steph in Golden State.

“Seth is his own person,” Barnes said. “He’s playing extremely well for us and we need him to continue to get better. With the extended minutes and extended touches, he’s taken complete advantage of it.”

His success isn’t surprising to Dell, who said he “absolutely” knew his son was capable of making noise in the NBA.

“Being his dad, I know what kind of guy he is and how hungry he was to get to the league so it doesn’t surprise me at all,” Dell said. “He just needed a consistent opportunity. He’s got that in Dallas and I think he’s got his feet wet and knows how to play the game. He can only get better.”

Seth also has a quiet confidence about him. When brought to his attention that he has a better shooting percentage than his brother, Seth gave a little smirk and said, “It’s not the first time.”

When asked who would win in a 3-point contest between him and his brother, who holds the record for most 3-pointers in a season, he didn’t hesitate.

“Me,” Seth said with a grin on his face. “I always got confidence in me.”

Making his mark

Seth Curry’s success on the court in Dallas has been a long time coming. This is, after all, what he expected of himself. He just finally got the chance to show it.

Curry started the season as a significant contributor off the bench, occasionally cracking the starting lineup due to injuries. Curry was inserted in the starting lineup again on Jan. 12 against the Phoenix Suns and since then, the Mavs have gone 6-3, including a road win against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday in which Curry had a season-high in minutes (37), career-high in points (24) and career-high in rebounds (10).

Curry attributes his emergence to a combination of getting better and increased opportunity, though one a little more than the other.

“I think it’s a little bit of both but honestly I think it’s just more opportunity,” Curry said. “I feel like I’ve played well at any level that I’ve been at.”

While Curry hasn’t surprised himself with the production, he certainly has surpassed the expectations of a few people in the organization, including Dirk Nowitzki.

“I said it in training camp; he’s a lot better than I thought,” Nowitzki admitted. “He showed that. It feels like every shot he’s taking is going in. That’s how much confidence he has right now. I actually think he was a great find.”

In addition to opportunity, Curry’s made strides to improve his game as the season progresses. The numbers tell the story. Curry’s field goal percentage in November was 41.7 percent. It improved to 46.6 percent in December and 51.9 percent in January. Similarly, he started the season off struggling from the 3-point line, shooting 30.9 percent in November. That number jumped to 49 percent in December and then 53.1 percent in January. In fact, Curry’s season average from beyond the arc of 42.2 percent is slightly better than his brother Steph, who is shooting 41 percent from 3-point range.

Lost in all the numbers however, is an underrated part of Curry’s game.

“I believe he’s getting better on both ends,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “His defensive numbers have been sneaky good. He’s a guy that has the reputation of being an offensive player because he shoots the ball so well and everybody knows his brother and his dad were great shooters but he’s taken on some pretty big defensive challenges in recent games and done some very good things.”

The personal strides this season still don’t satisfy Curry, who believe he has ways to go before hitting his ceiling.

“There’s always room to improve,” Curry said. “I’m focused on that in every single game, being better and better.”

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