C.J. McCollum is a player on the rise. The fact he won the NBA’s Most Improved Player award last season is a testament to that. He was given starters minutes, stayed healthy, and saw his points per game jump by a whopping 14 points. Heading into the upcoming NBA season, McCollum seems to be feeling good about himself. Somebody on Twitter asked him if Steph Curry can guard him, and he did not mince words.
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) August 31, 2016
Now, anytime somebody fires a shot at Curry, it is going to grab attention. Keep in mind, though, the question wasn’t whether or not McCollum can guard Curry. If it was, the answer would be an emphatic “nope.” This is about whether or not Curry can defend McCollum, which brings up questions about Curry’s defense once again.
That is a question that will yield different answers depending on who you ask. There is an entire YouTube video dedicated to Curry getting crossed over, and McCollum himself has crossed Curry over, but that’s not a good indication of overall defense. The Warriors and Blazers met in the playoffs last season, but Curry only played in two games and only started one because he was dealing with his knee injury.
If you look at Curry’s defensive numbers the last few seasons, they are decent. His defensive rating per 100 possessions is just over 100, which is average, and his defensive BPM is a little over zero, which is also the break-even point in that stat. McCollum’s offensive numbers last year, his only real season with substantive playing time, were better than Curry’s defensive numbers. Of course, that’s about overall play. That’s not about this particular matchup, and we have to account for the fact that Curry has to conserve energy for offense.
Curry is not a defensive stalwart. He’s not Klay Thompson. He has size matchup issues with some players. However, as to whether or not he is capable of guarding McCollum, that answer may not be as clear as McCollum believes it to be. Maybe we will get some answers this season. That would be something to watch.
