Seth Curry dazzles as fans get their 1st look at ’16-17 Mavs during open practice

DALLAS — Although they opted to rest three of their projected starters for the upcoming season, the Dallas Mavericks gave fans an early look at the 2016-17 roster Wednesday at American Airlines Center.

Resting 13-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki, new center Andrew Bogut, starting point guard Deron Williams and fellow veteran Devin Harris, the Mavericks treated their fans to an intrasquad blue-white scrimmage to highlight the second day of training camp, which is presented by Bedgear. The Mavs also gave the hometown crowd a preview of how potent they figure to be this season, introducing the fanbase to new additions like Harrison Barnes, Seth Curry, Quincy Acy and a bevy of other offseason signings during an open practice. And although his White team would eventually fall to the Blue squad during a 20-minute half, 30-21, Curry personally took it upon himself to give the fans a glimpse of what’s to come this season.

“I was trying to play fast, get up and down, and trying to get in the best shape possible. I was just trying to have fun out there,” Curry said after scoring a team-high 15 points on 4-of-9 shooting and dishing out two assists during the live scrimmage. “It was the first time getting in front of the Mavs’ crowd in Dallas, so I was trying to put on a show for them. And like I said, just have fun.”

Signing a reported two-year, $6 million deal with the Mavericks this summer after a strong ’15-16 campaign with Sacramento, Curry is expected to have a breakout season. The 6-foot-2, 185-pounder appeared 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. He then saw those numbers spike during the nine games he was in Sacramento’s starting lineup, posting 14.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 29.9 minutes an outing when featured in the first unit. He’ll now be called upon to immediately contribute in the Dallas backcourt, looking to earn the trust of Mavs coach Rick Carlisle quickly.

Proving to be to be a knockdown shooter by connecting on 45.5 percent from the field and 45.0 percent from three-point range last season for the Kings, Curry will be asked to help improve the Mavericks’ outside shooting after they shot just 34.4 percent as a team from behind the arc. He’ll also see time at both guard positions, according to Carlisle, adding depth and versatility in the backcourt. That said, although it was just a small sample size, Carlisle admits to being impressed by what he’s seen from the 26-year-old guard so far in training camp.

“He could legitimately play both guard positions, and he’s going to be a factor for us,” Carlisle said while speaking highly of Curry. “He’s better than I thought he was, and he’s at an age where he’s still getting better really at both positions, so I’m excited about him.”

As the son of 16-year NBA veteran Dell Curry and brother to two-time MVP Stephen Curry, the Charlotte, N.C., native comes with a well-documented professional pedigree. However, Curry is eager to now make a name for himself while carving out his own niche in the league.

Earning First Team All-ACC and Second Team All-American honors during his senior season at Duke, Curry spent time in the NBA Development League before making his NBA debut with the Memphis Grizzlies on December 24, 2013. He was then waived by Memphis in January of 2014, returning to the D-League to average 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 and a member of the the All-NBA D-League Third Team. Curry averaged 23.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 43 games with the Erie BayHawks the following season, making anther appearance on the D-League All-Star squad and garnering a spot on the All-NBA D-League First Team. He’s now ready to emerge as a key contributor with the Mavs, hoping to build on his first significant time in the league last season and step out of his family’s shadows.

“I know my potential and what I can do, and that’s what I base myself off of. Not what my brother did or what my dad did,” Curry explained.

He added: “I just need to keep getting better. I think I’ve played well at whatever level I’ve played at, but it’s just about taking the opportunities and making the most of them. I think the more people watch me, the more they see different things that I can do. I’m not just a shooter. I get labeled as that a lot, but to me it is what it is. I just go out there and try to play hard, have fun and get better every year, and I feel like I’ve been able to do that. So, I’m just trying to continue to get better this year.”

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