“We need to cherish these nights. He’s not going to be around forever” said Steve Kerr, when discussing Stephen Curry’s performance during the recent Warriors-76ers matchup. Since Kerr has coached the NBA Three-Point Leader for over a decade, the latter must have done something amazing to bring out this compliment. As it turned out, Curry made 8 three-pointers without missing a shot in between.

While it placed him just one shot shy of matching the NBA record for most 3’s without a miss in a game, it was a streak that had eluded him for the last 15 years. The fact that he made the shots while recovering from an injury only worked in favor of highlighting Curry’s prowess. As it turned out, however, the injury may have motivated the Golden State Warriors star to do what he did.

In the aftermath of the Warriors-76ers game, Stephen Curry engaged in a Q&A session with several media members. Right out of the bat, the first question asked to the player was about him achieving his 8 three-pointers feat while suffering from a thumb injury. Curry described that he went into the game carrying no particular expectations. Everything just fell into place, but mostly because he was being mindful of playing with his thumb ailment being present. Therefore, as Curry highlighted, “When you have a little injury, that’s kind of random, it kind of forces you to focus a little bit, and just be free”. The Warriors star further added that he was “just happy I got to play, because I was unsure going into the day”.

The ongoing NBA season has seen injuries come up amongst several star players of different teams. Over the last few months, Stephen Curry has sustained issues in his ankle, hip, and knee. He even sustained a right cervical facet inflammation at one point. Curry sustained the Right Thumb Sprain after the matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Due to it, he was listed as ‘Questionable’ on the Injury Report. This left open the worry that the veteran player would miss his 7 game of the season. Fortunately, Steve Kerr didn’t leave Bay Area fans in suspense for long. He made it clear that Stephen Curry was available to play. In the end, not only did Stephen Curry perform well, he exceeded expectations.

It should have been obvious when Stephen Curry said that the injury would cause him to change his playing style. After all, this is not the first time he has done so.

Dorell Wright was “super proud” when issues with his ankles caused Stephen Curry to bring a change to his playing style

By his third season, Stephen Curry had started making a mark in the NBA world. Unfortunately, one issue of his kept holding him back: his ankles. A report by ‘GiveMeSport’ highlighted that by his 3 season, Curry had beeen amongst the league’s ‘injury-prone’ individuals. After all, he had developed 7 ankle sprains within a sixteen-month period. The ailment forced him to miss 56 games during the 2011-12 season. This would raise one question: How did Stephen Curry go from being an injury-prone player to the three-point leader and the face of the modern NBA? Well, as his former teammate highlighted, the ailments forced Curry to bring a change within himself.

Back in September, former NBA player Dorell Wright sat down for an interview on the ‘Run your Race’ podcast. During the discussion, he revealed how Curry’s ankle injuries had made him question whether the then-young star was going to be healthy enough to be successful. Curry may have realized this too. That is why, as Wright highlighted, “He put the work in, uh, he was a student at the game, he listened to the older guys, and you know how I see him doing the things he does, I’m not surprised. Cuz, he put the work in, he put the time in, and he was willing to do whatever, you know, to be who he is today. So, I’m super proud of him, man.”

Reports revealed that getting two ligaments rebuilt on his right ankle was a lesson in itself. It convinced Curry to change his playing style in specific areas. Therefore, he developed his core strength and learned to use his hips more prominently. This way, his ankles would get the needed rest. Former Warriors executive Bob Myers once even praised the work ethic behind the changes. He stated that the changes “made Steph what he is now.”

Stephen Curry continues to employ the same strategy even today. He made a change, and it yielded him a memorable feat.