Dallas Mavs Training Camp: Third Time's a Charm for Seth Curry?
Heading into the summer, the Dallas Mavericks' offseason priorities were to upgrade their defense and rebounding, which they did with the additions of veterans Grant Williams and Richaun Holmes, along with drafting Dereck Lively and O-Max Prosper.
But, along the way, Dallas brought back a familiar face who might not be known for his defense, but he can absolutely shoot the leather off the ball: Seth Curry.
Curry reunited with the Mavs for the third time in the last seven years, signing a two-year, $8 million deal in hopes of making Dallas an actual long-term home this time and not just another pit stop.
Last season with the Brooklyn Nets, Curry averaged 9.2 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 40.5 percent from 3-point range in 20 minutes per game. In his second-stint with the Mavs in 2019-20, Curry shot a career-high 45.2 percent from downtown and currently holds the sixth-highest 3-point percentage in NBA history.
The last time Seth Curry was with the Dallas Mavericks in 2019-20, the franchise broke a three-year playoff drought.
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Not only is Curry a great shooter, but according to Kyrie Irving, who was a teammate of Curry’s in Brooklyn, he’s a great locker-room presence as well.
“I’m excited," Irving said of reuniting with Curry. "He’s an incredible shooter and leader to have in the locker room. It’s gonna be interesting to see him out there with myself and Luka, and [also] the second unit at times. He has a great work ethic.”
For Curry, his third-stint in Dallas should look relatively the same as it did in 2019-20: come off the bench to play alongside Luka Doncic. As he does with just about every teammate, Doncic creates the most wide open looks that a shooter will ever receive, and for a sniper like Curry, that's all you could dream for.
But, at what capacity will Curry's role be in Jason Kidd's rotation? With Doncic and Irving as the starters in the backcourt and Josh Green likely alongside them on the wing, that leaves Tim Hardaway Jr. coming off the bench, which Kidd recently hinted at.
That bench unit will feature Hardaway, Curry and second-year guard Jaden Hardy. Simply put, that's a lot of mouths to feed and shots to distribute.
But, if we know one thing with Curry, it's that he's going to shoot a high percentage no matter the volume from downtown. And playing alongside guys like Doncic and Irving, who are among the best in the NBA at driving and distributing the ball, Curry should have some fun waiting for those consistent wide-open looks in the corner.
