Stephen Curry is a more dynamic passer with Klay Thompson on the court, and he’s doing it responsibly

On Jan. 23, Stephen Curry dished out six assists against one turnover in a two-point win over the Jazz. Afterward, Warriors public relations man Raymond Ridder noted to reporters that the performance had capped a six-game stretch in which Curry had tallied 34 assists to six turnovers. 

“Headline that!” Warriors coach Steve Kerr blurted. 

It was a nod of frustration to the endless headlines maligning Curry’s season-long shooting slump. For starters, 38 percent on over 12 3-pointers per game isn’t a slump. For anyone not named Stephen Curry, it’s the year of your life. But besides being held to the almost illogical standards of his own excellence, Curry impacts games in so many ways other than shooting, even if much of it is a direct result of the defensive paranoia caused by his shooting. 

Creating wide-open shots for his teammates is one of those byproducts. Sometimes he doesn’t even have to touch the ball; he just comes flying off a pin-down screen and keeps running the other way as both defenders instinctively jump to him while the screener rolls unabated to the rim for a layup. 

That’s why Curry’s assist totals can be, and usually are, deceiving. He creates a lot more open shots than his 6.3 dimes per game this season would indicate, though that’s surely a healthy number for a guy who plays so much off-ball. But lately Curry’s been on another assist-to-turnover tear, a result of doing more with the ball in his hands while also valuing possessions. 

Over his last five games, Curry has 40 assists to 14 turnovers. It’s not the almost 6-to-1 ratio that preceded that Kerr quote after the Utah game, but it’s almost 3-to-1, a ratio Kerr will be more than happy with given the risk-reward nature of Curry’s game, which, we all know, is susceptible to some pretty deadhead turnovers at times. 

Curry’s latest gem came on Thursday, when he racked up 14 assists, two shy of his career-high, against just three turnovers in Golden State’s 132-95 victory over the Blazers. Curry’s smoking-gun shooting display from the All-Star Game was not as present with just a 2-for-7 night from 3, but he put on a passing clinic. 

Those Looney and Porter rolls to the hoop when two defenders stay with Curry are easy money. Curry has been consistent in taking advantage of those openings all season. What I like, though, are the friskier dishes in the lane — the Gary Payton II cut and the look-away flip to Looney. Even the kick-out to Payton II for the corner 3-pointer was off Curry’s dribble aggression. 

There’s a direct correlation to Curry’s offensive energy when he’s attacking and making passes like this. If it’s just a steady diet of dragging two defenders out past 30 feet and lobbing it over the top, while that’s a possessional win for the Warriors, it can lead to varying degrees of lethargy from Curry during stretches of games. When his energy is high as a passer, whether he’s actually hitting shots becomes even less relevant to his impact. 

You also saw a nice transition assist to Klay Thompson for a 3. Over the years, this is where we’ve seen some of Curry’s best passes. He has a sense of where Klay is at, and where he’s going to end up, in the same way that Draymond Green has a sense for Curry’s roaming locales, and he hits Thompson square in the shooting pocket almost every time. 

Curry is a different passer with Thompson on the court, like a quarterback with his top target back from a long absence. It’s reinvigorating. Whereas Curry is more focused on being the off-ball mover and recipient without an equal threat on the court with him, Thompson can now occupy some of that role, freeing up Curry to attack as a facilitator.

Curry assisted on three of Thompson’s four 3-pointers on Thursday, a terrific sign as that chemistry between the two is a lot of what makes the Warriors such a dangerous offensive team even without a bevy of individual shot creators. Over his last seven games, all in February, Thompson is shooting 46 percent from 3 on over eight attempts per game. 

Curry is looking for him. He’s looking for everyone. There’s a joy to Curry’s passing in almost the same way there is with his shooting when he really starts feeling himself as an active creator. He’s in one of those modes right now, and yes, it’s worthy of a headline.