Steve Kerr: Warriors 'Incredibly Blessed' to Have Stephen Curry as Leader
Stephen Curry is still under contract with the Golden State Warriors until 2022, but he's already got his head coach thinking about the guard's place in franchise history.
Steve Kerr was asked on Tuesday about Curry finishing his career with the Warriors, and while the coach didn't get into extension talk, he detailed just how important the 32-year-old is to the team.
"We are so incredibly lucky to have Steph as our lead guy—the guy that really makes things happen for us," Kerr told reporters. "We are incredibly blessed."
Curry's leadership style, much like his game, is the product of natural talent and a determination to be true to himself. The veteran told ESPN's Doris Burke as much when he took part in the Jr. NBA Leadership Conference last spring:
"You don't have to be anybody but yourself. There are a lot of different ways that leadership presents itself. I feel like I have a blend of a couple factors where I try to lead by example, like putting in the most time, having the hardest work ethic, and showing people what it means to be committed to winning and to doing everything you can to get better every single year and not settling. I can show it better than I can say it, and so I know there's a consistency to that. But I'm also pretty selective when I do speak. I'm not the loudest guy in the room, so when I do say something, hopefully it commands attention and has a presence about it."
Being comfortable with himself, Curry said, is what's helped him spread the confidence he plays with.
The guard also explained how watching The Last Dance documentary series on Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls during the NBA's COVID-19 hiatus last season could give viewers a sense that to be a leader a player has to be the most vocal and demonstrative player in the huddle.
The message Curry took was to continue staying true to himself. What worked for Jordan might not necessarily work for Curry.
No one knows that more than Kerr, who played alongside Jordan in Chicago before taking over as Curry's coach.
Having seen both sides allows Kerr to aide the development of his star player in San Francisco. Whatever happens in Curry's final playing years won't detract from his status with Golden State or the example he's set there.
