Have the Warriors become all about Stephen Curry only now? This season alone the Dubs have lost in six out of nine games when Curry was not on the court. And even if he plays, the burden to score is too much on the Warriors’ point guard. “For the second year in a row, we put way too much on Steph’s shoulders trying to figure out ways to score,” Kerr acknowledged back in the 2024 season. “We put too much burden on him not only having to score but having to handle the ball against that pressure.” But things are changing off late after Curry’s bold ask to the Warriors’ front office last month.

Just a month back, a frustrated Curry was bluntly clear with his ask about the help he needs in scoring. “That’s not for me to make those decisions,” Curry said when asked if he wants to see a trade happen. “I want to win, so whatever it means to do that.” Well, the Warriors were quick to listen to their franchise star and deployed Jimmy Butler within a week. Curry makes it a point to ensure that his teammates do not solely depend on him for scoring. Now that it has already been almost a month since the Butler trade, the Dubs seem to be back on track. And Curry? Well, the 36-year-old got what he needed the most.

Brandin Podziemski participated in a Q&A session after the Warriors’ recent win against the New York Knicks. During the same, he discussed what playing alongside Stephen Curry entails for him. If the last two years have taught him anything, it is that one can work with Curry by “understanding where he’s at. Understanding a lot of things can be created from just by screening the ball off from. And so, everybody just kind of having an awareness of, you know, where he’s at”. At the same time, however, Podziemski highlighted that the squad cannot be too “robotic”, meaning that their focus cannot be solely on just getting Steph the ball.

“And so, there’s a good balance that you have to have, and that even Steph himself, you know, preaches to us. To not just always look for him. Like, ‘Be Yourself’ too. And I think, tonight, in the past few games, we had a good balance of it,” said Podziemski.

Granted, Stephen Curry is the face of the Golden State Warriors. Under his leadership, the team has won 4 NBA championships. He is the NBA’s All-Time 3-Point Leader and, after the recent game, has won 10 STRAIGHT matchups at Madison Square Garden. However, solely using him to score makes the Warriors’ game plan predictable. Therefore, the less dependent the squad is on Curry, the more they retain the ball amongst themselves. When the worrying habit of passing the ball to Stephen Curry is put to rest, new strategies can be explored and used to give the team a much-needed edge.

As Brandin Podziemski highlighted, the past few games saw the squad balancing between passing to Steph and just ‘being themselves’. Podz’s own field goals rate has increased, along with his average 3-point attempts. At the same time, Curry is averaging 17.7 field goal attempts in March, as compared to his 22 field goal attempts per game in February. Even his 3-point attempts are down, going from 13.9 per game to 10.

It’s important to note, though, that Jimmy Butler’s acquisition has also played a role in this shift, as the veteran has lessened the offensive load from Curry’s shoulder. Adopting a new way of playing has given the Warriors a new life. Within a few weeks, they have gone from fighting to at least secure a Play-In qualifying seed to holding the 6 seed on the Western Conference points table. In light of this, Steve Kerr couldn’t be more glad.

Steve Kerr praises the Warriors squad for finding their own identity: “It’s fun to watch unfold”

The Warriors head coach was also interviewed after the win at Madison Square Garden. He did not waste any time in kicking things off on a positive note, exclaiming, “Really good Win. They all count obviously, but this felt good, you know, on the road on a back-to-back against a great team”. Steve Kerr did admit “hanging in there” after the Warriors struggled to make shots initially in the first half.

The Knicks led by 26-25 in the 1 quarter and extended that lead in the 2. In the end, however, Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Brandin Podziemski, and Buddy Hield were able to gain the needed edge. This division of the offensive effort served as a breath of fresh air for the coach.

“Every possession mattered, and … there was a purpose, and Jimmy has a lot to do with that. … but I give all of our guys a lot of Credit because they’re finding a real identity, and it’s fun to watch unfold,” said Kerr.

Stephen Curry and Co. have now won 9 of their last 11 games. The recent change may just be one strategy adopted by the team to push for the playoffs. How they will continue impressing their fans and NBA analysts in future games will be fun to watch.