Sixers' Doc Rivers Reacts to Seth Curry's Inconsistency
The 2020-2021 NBA season has been difficult for teams all around the league, including the Philadelphia 76ers, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only are teams missing chunks of players at a time due to contact tracing, but there's also been a handful of players who have tested positive and have since then struggled to get back on track since getting on the court post-COVID.
Markdown Sixers veteran guard Seth Curry as one of those players. In early January, Curry sat out Philly's matchup against the Brooklyn Nets as he was dealing with an injured ankle. During the first quarter of that game, the veteran got word that he tested positive for COVID and would have to self-isolate for the next couple of weeks.
Before Curry went out, he was on a hot streak. In his first eight games with the Sixers, he averaged 17 points-per-game while shooting 59-percent from three. Then, COVID forced him to miss the next seven games.
Eventually, Curry returned to the floor on January 22, but he wasn't putting up the same numbers. Since coming back from COVID, he's been up and down. Some nights, Curry looks good and is a big-time contributor to the 76ers' success. Other nights, he's exhausted, battling through other small setbacks and hardly a factor for Philly.
The last two games have been a perfect example of his recent play. On Thursday, against the Dallas Mavericks, Curry accounted for 15 points in the Sixers' win over the Mavs. He shot efficiently from the field, knocking down six of his nine attempted shots, and drained all three of his three-point attempts.
The following game, he struggled a lot. In 38 minutes of action against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Curry drained just one of his 13 attempts from the field. Seven of those shots came from beyond-the-arc. In total, he collected just four points for the Sixers, which is the lowest-scoring total he's had since January 27.
“I just think shooters shoot; they go through low stretches," Sixers head coach Doc Rivers said after Saturday's game. "I don’t think he’s been very consistent since he’s returned from COVID. We have heard that other players have been in and out like this as well. So, the best thing to do is just keep playing him, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Although Curry has had an inconsistent stretch since returning to the lineup, he has proven that he's not necessarily in a full-on slump. The veteran guard can still heat up from deep and is averaging 44-percent from three this season.
His presence alone demands attention from the opposing team's defense, which is a good thing for the Sixers' spacing. But without the Sixers' third star Tobias Harris on the floor, the Sixers will need Curry to step up and shoot more consistently moving forward.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA
