DALLAS — Despite losing one of their top contributors last season in the backcourt off the bench with the free-agent departure of veteran Raymond Felton, the Dallas Mavericks feel they may have found a budding star capable of playing both guard positions.
Signing free-agent guard Seth Curry to a reported two-year deal for nearly $6 million on July 15, the Mavericks added a player that can provide much-needed perimeter shooting. The Mavs also feel Curry is capable of playing the point, adding young depth to the roster behind veterans Deron Williams, Devin Harris and J.J. Barea. And after seeing Curry come on strong to close the 2015-16 season with Sacramento, the Mavericks hope to foster the 25-year-old’s untapped talent.
“He can get buckets and he can shoot,” Mavs owner Mark Cuban said while praising the addition of Curry to the team shortly after the signing was made official. “You know, he’s been in some dysfunctional situations, and I think he’ll be able to thrive with us. He can get his shot off, and he can do a lot more.”
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Curry comes to Dallas after appearing in 44 games last season with the Kings, averaging 6.8 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 15.7 minutes per outing. Those numbers also spiked in the nine games Curry appeared in Sacramento’s starting lineup, leading him to average 14.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 29.9 minutes when featured in the first unit. Curry also proved to be a knockdown shooter, connecting on 45.5 percent from the field, 45.0 percent from three-point range and 83.3 percent from the foul line. But after going undrafted in 2013, the sharpshooter could be set for a breakout season in Mavs coach Rick Carlisle’s system.
As the son of 16-year NBA veteran Dell Curry and brother to two-time MVP Stephen Curry, the Charlotte, N.C., native certainly has a professional pedigree. However, Curry has gone through a difficult journey to make his NBA dreams come true after garnering First Team All-ACC and Second Team All-American honors during his senior season at Duke, spending time in the Development League before making his debut with the Memphis Grizzlies on December 24, 2013.
Waived by Memphis in January of 2014, Curry averaged 19.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 5.8 assists in 38 games for the Santa Cruz Warriors to be named a D-League All-Star while earning a spot on the All-NBA D-League Third Team. Curry then averaged 23.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 43 games with the Erie BayHawks the following season, garnering D-League All-Star honors once again and named to the All-NBA D-League First Team. But according to Carlisle, it’s Curry’s ability to play both on the ball and off the ball that will serve the Mavericks well this upcoming season. And after seeing Curry average 9.3 points, 1.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 steals in three games against the Mavs last season, Carlisle sees the young pro sliding right into his rotation.
“Well, he had good games against us last year and he shot it well,” Carlisle said in a recent interview with NBA TV, noting Curry’s 47.1 percent shooting from the field and 60 percent from three-point range against Dallas.
He added: “In our games against Sacramento, for different reasons he got a lot of minutes, shot the ball well, and we like him. We feel like he’s one of these younger guys that has a chance to really take a bit of a quantum leap up, so we’re going to work hard with him. We feel he can play both guard positions, which you’ve got to have. You’ve got to have that kind of flexibility. And he’s an underrated defender, so he’s got a chance to be pretty good for us.”
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