Sixers' Seth Curry Details 'Tough' Process Getting Back on Track After Having COVID-19
Aside from MVP candidate Joel Embiid, veteran guard Seth Curry might've been the most consistently productive player on the Sixers to start the season. Through the first eight games, Curry averaged 17 points-per-game while shooting 59-percent from beyond-the-arc.
Then a setback came about. Curry missed his first game in a Sixers uniform on January 7 against the Brooklyn Nets. At the time, Curry was battling through an ankle injury, after rolling it the previous night.
What he didn't know at the time was that he would soon have to battle through COVID-19 as well. Sometime around the conclusion of the first quarter of that very matchup, Curry was notified he had to leave the Barclays Center to self-quarantine as the Sixers veteran returned a positive COVID-19 test.
For the next seven games, Curry remained quarantined in his basement. A couple of weeks later, he finally returned to the court to face the Boston Celtics on January 22. A slow start to his return was to be expected, but six games in so far, Curry doesn't look the same way he did before catching COVID. Perhaps, the strong aftereffects of the virus have something to do with that.
“It’s been tough,” Curry admitted on Tuesday following practice. “[I've had] little nagging injuries here and there, I’ve been banged up a little bit. Some of the big remnants are also just trying to get my energy all the way back. Some days I feel good; some days, I’m just sluggish, and it’s like I got to take a nap all day, so it’s weird, but I’m grateful to be able to get up and get on the court every day and play.”
Since returning to the court, Curry has seen his pre-COVID average of 17 points-per-game regress to nine PPG. And that incredibly high 59-percent from deep has been down to just 31-percent lately on two fewer attempts.
Curry doesn't seem panicked over his regression as it's just a small sample size after missing notable time. Although his progress with the Sixers has slightly gotten off track, he's still averaging career-high numbers in the scoring and shooting department.
There is still a lot of basketball left to be played, so those numbers could go either way as time goes on. However, with six years of NBA experience under his belt, Curry has established himself as a reliable three-point shooter, which is precisely what the Sixers need him to be. Soon enough, he should get back to natural form.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_
