Remember the concept of “Kobe Assists?” The notion that certain missed field goal attempts can be nearly as valuable as made ones because of the opportunity for offensive rebounds they provide? Those are real. Players consistently capable of drawing extra defensive attention will always be more valuable than ones who don’t, and that holds true for even the select few among that group who are mostly inefficient.
But players who pose an imminent scoring threat combined with tangible shot-making proficiency from all over the floor still stand a cut above the rest. A prime Kobe Bryant, for instance, accounted for a bigger defensive shift his direction on forays to the paint more than any other occasions. The effects of dribble penetration and even consistent, productive post-play are sweeping.
Think how much more influential, then, a player who must be tightly defended well past the three-point arc could be – both directly and indirectly. Or better yet, just watch film of Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.
On two separate possessions in the defending champions’ recent win over the Sacramento Kings, Curry accounted for a teammates’ easy score without coming anywhere near the ball.
First, the reigning MVP in-bounds from the sideline and meanders his way to a cross-screen from Klay Thompson. He accelerates upon finally reaching his teammate, though, sprinting off his fellow Splash Brother to leave Ben McLemore in his dust. Draymond Green awaits just above the opposite block, readying to free the world’s deadliest shooter for a triple from the wing.
But Rudy Gay sees Curry coming and notices McLemore frantically trailing. He leaps out to contest a seemingly imminent pass as Curry darts behind another pick, but his teammate notices the effective switch too late.
McLemore tries his damndest to prevent Green from slipping into open space by committing an obvious foul, but the damage is done. Shaun Livingston throws a pin-point pass and Green finishes the action with a jam. Curry, meanwhile, never comes within 15-feet of the ball after throwing the initial in-bounds pass.
His next “assist” is even simpler.
Green grabs a defensive board and brings the ball up in secondary transition as Thompson jogs to the right wing to set a pick for Curry. Rajon Rondo, checking the league’s leader in three-pointers, anticipates the action and motions to Marco Belinelli to initiate a switch.
But the sense of desperate urgency that comes with guarding Curry looms larger than Rondo’s initial plan of attack. Thompson runs harder the closer he gets to his teammate and cuts narrowly inside, essentially using himself as an obstacle as opposed to a real pick. This confuses Rondo, who sticks with Curry as Belinelli, Thompson’s man, switches as his point guard initially instructed.
That’s when Klay hops forward into a defense-less void and receives a bounce pass from Green for a reverse layup before help can arrive.
The Warriors’ shining 111.3 offensive rating comfortably leads the league. With Curry on the floor, they score over 15 points per 100 possessions more than when he’s riding the bench.
It’s never hard to see why, obviously. Golden State’s singular superstar isn’t just the greatest shooter basketball has ever seen, but also among the game’s most creative and consistent overall playmakers. There isn’t anything else in the NBA right now that compares to watching Curry with the ball in his hands.
But his impact extends far beyond that spectacle, too. Even when Curry doesn’t have the ball, the mere fear of him getting it often leads to easy points for his teammates – whether the score comes immediately or after multiple passes.
Do those frequent instances count as “Kobe Assists?” No. They’re something much, much better.
