What the Warriors Are Getting with Seth Curry Signing

Seth Curry and the Golden State Warriors agreed to a one-year contract on Sunday, per ESPN's Shams Charania.

It's well-known that Seth (43.3) has a higher career three-point percentage than Steph (42.3), and though no one would say Seth is a better shooter, it's obvious that opposing teams will not want to leave him open.

Seth has come off the bench for 86 percent of his appearances over the last three seasons, averaging 16.7 minutes and 7.1 points per game in that span.

So we know he's a great shooter who is used to coming off the bench. What else do we know?

Surprisingly Good Net Rating

Since the beginning of the 2016-17 season, all but one of Seth's teams has been better with him on the court than with him off, per Cleaning the Glass.

You might guess that he usually increases his team's offensive efficiency and decreases his team's defensive efficiency, but his team's defense has actually not suffered.

Since 2016-17, Seth has played eight seasons, but he spent two of those with two teams. So we'll say he played two partial seasons in 2021-22 (w/ PHI and BKN) and 2023-24 (w/ DAL and CHA) for a total of 10 seasons.

In six of those 10 seasons, Seth's teams have been better on offense with him on the court. And, somewhat surprisingly, in six of those 10 seasons, Seth's teams have been better on defense with him on the court.

The 6'1" 35-year-old will not shut down opposing guards, but he's a better team defender than given credit for. The question is will his lack of size get more exposed in Golden State's small-ball lineups? That would make him harder to play.

Extremely Turnover-Averse

The Warriors have had major issues taking care of the ball, ranking 24th in turnover percentage.

From an individual perspective, only two Warriors (Jimmy Butler and Will Richard) have turnover percentages under 10 percent.

Seth's turnover percentage has been under 10 percent each of the last three seasons.

In his career, Seth has 1,039 assists and 529 turnovers, putting him right on the edge of the coveted career 2-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Comparing Seth to Buddy

The Warriors' rotation is about to change. De'Anthony Melton could return next week, and he should be ahead of both Buddy Hield and Seth in the guard rotation.

But even if Steph Curry, Melton, Brandin Podziemski and Will Richard take the majority of the guard minutes, there will be room for either Seth or Buddy to play 15ish minutes per game off the bench.

The main difference between Seth and Buddy is Buddy's higher three-point volume.

For his career, Buddy averages 3.8 threes and 9.5 three-point attempts per 36 minutes. Seth averages just 2.7 and 6.3, respectively.

Buddy (6'4") is bigger and has a slightly quicker release, so it's no surprise he's able to get more threes off.

Seth is more likely to make the extra pass to get a great look. Buddy is more likely to take the first OK look that comes his way.

Buddy's style can be infuriating, but it has also helped lift some offense-needy second units. When Buddy is on, he can be the first option on the second unit in a way Seth can't.

Buddy is in a big slump, so it's easy to say right now that Seth should be ahead of Buddy in the guard pecking order. But if/when Buddy gets going again, Kerr will have a tougher decision.

My guess is Seth's higher-IQ play on both ends will eventually earn him more minutes than Buddy. That would allow the Warriors to use Buddy's $9.2 million salary as a money-matcher in trades.