OAKLAND, California — Seth Curry was walking around the Golden State Warriors practice court during media day festivities Friday (Saturday, Manila time) when a stranger struck up a conversation.
A few minutes later, the rookie realized he had been mistaken for somebody else — older brother Stephen Curry. He quickly corrected their mistake.
"Sometimes I let them keep going," he joked.
Seth has spent most of his life being compared to Stephen. He wouldn't mind looking like his brother on the court starting Saturday, when the Warriors open training camp with both on the roster.
The sons of former NBA player Del Curry competed at everything from basketball to video games growing up. Born two years apart, their careers are far removed from each other now.
Stephen, 25, elevated his game to star status by leading the Warriors to the second round of the playoffs last season. Seth, 23, went undrafted out of Duke after undergoing surgery on his right knee/shin and is competing for a spot backing up his brother at point guard, which might be the most intriguing competition in camp if he can be anywhere near the level he played at in college.
Even if it's for only a few weeks, playing on the same NBA team is a unique opportunity for both. They haven't played together since Seth's sophomore year at Charlotte Christian School.
Stephen moved on to Davidson the following year and turned heads in the NCAA tournament. Seth played one season at Liberty before transferring to Duke, where he dazzled for two years and disappeared at times during his senior season because of injuries, which sidelined him for predraft workouts.
While it might seem like a long shot, both believe Seth has a great chance to make the roster.
"I don't think the Warriors would sign him if they didn't think so either," Stephen said. "Maybe they paid more attention to him because he's my brother, but nobody's going to throw money and an opportunity at somebody if they don't think he's got an opportunity to make the team out of camp and help the team down the road."
When he was healthy, Seth averaged 17.5 points on 46.5 percent shooting in his final season at Duke. He said he has no regrets about delaying surgery until after the season, which pushed back his rehabilitation and likely caused him to go undrafted.
"It was definitely disappointing," Seth said. "The biggest thing was just not being able to go through the draft process. It was tough because I had surgery right after the season. I wasn't able to get in front of teams and work out and compete against guys in my draft class. But it was out of my control."
Making Golden State's roster will be difficult. Kent Bazemore is back for his second season, and the Warriors added veteran Toney Douglas and drafted Nemanja Nedovic of Serbia with the 30th pick.
If he doesn't make the team, Seth could also try to work his way up through the Santa Cruz Warriors of the NBA Development League. He said he's not worrying about anything but training camp now.
Seth attended several Warriors games the past few seasons and said one of the reasons he decided to join the team in camp and not play overseas or for somebody else is because general manager Bob Myers and his staff will give him every opportunity to show what he can do in the preseason. He's eager to prove — like his brother had to out of college — that he's big enough to score and defend his position in the NBA.
"We talk about it all the time, 'It's the same knocks we've had our whole lives,'" Seth said.
Seth was cleared to participate in five-on-five scrimmages about six weeks ago. Along with nearly every player on the roster, he has been in the Bay Area practicing since the first week of September.
"He always wants to guard Steph," Warriors forward David Lee said. "You can tell the sibling rivalry is there and I think it's only added to the competition for everybody in camp."
Stephen said teammates no longer look at Seth as his brother. Instead, he's just "one of the guys."
"Sometimes I forget he's here and then you see him make a shot and you're like, 'What's up?'" Stephen said.
Family time also has spread beyond the court. Seth is living with his brother, his brother's wife, Ayesha, and the couple's 14-month-old daughter, Riley. He's been helping out with chores around the house and even stayed home babysitting a few nights.
"Rent's not free," Stephen joked.
Spending nearly every moment together, Seth said, has helped with the transition.
"I kind of have an advantage," he said. "I can see him day by day and see how he prepares for everything."
Both also know the competition will heat up on the court once training camp begins.
"It's inevitable," Seth said. "We've always been competing and always will be."
0 comments:
Speak up your mind
Tell us what you're thinking... !