If there is one person that is most excited to see Seth Curry step onto the floor in a Nets jersey, then a safe bet would say it’s Patty Mills.
The Brooklyn sharpshooter has had to carry a lot of the weight in plugging in the gap with Joe Harris sidelined due to an ankle injury that required surgery, but the 6-foot-1 point guard is finally getting some help with the addition of Curry. While Mills has been having a strong season, his shooting has dropped off over the last four games.
Curry’s presence should help take the pressure off Mills.
“Seth is able to take a lot of the burden off Patty at this point,” Nets coach Steve Nash said over the weekend. “It adds a shooter to our program, which is great, and a guy that can score spotting up or off the bounce. Space the floor for his teammates as well. I think there are in general never too many shooters, so that’s a positive as well.”
Curry has had a premium shot from the outside throughout his career. His three-point percentage is second behind Harris among active NBA players and fifth all-time at 43.7 % from beyond the arc.
He has also shot above 40% over the last six seasons.
While Curry was not the centerpiece of the deal between Philadelphia and Brooklyn, he will play an important role as the Nets try to turn their chaotic season around.
“I’m just looking forward to the next opportunity,” Curry said in Miami. “I feel I can fit into a lot of different situations: Play with the ball, play without the ball. I’m just looking forward to coming here and trying to help these guys in whatever way I can.”
Curry is joining a roster in flux with so many injuries in Brooklyn. The Nets are hoping to just hobble to the NBA All-Star break and get healthy afterward.
Kevin Durant is expected to return to the court sometime after the all-star break and Kyrie Irving will be available for eight games after the break for Brooklyn due to his unvaccinated status. The Nets are remaining hopefully the New York City vaccine mandate is lifted at some point.
Curry has had plenty of experience playing alongside superstars having called Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Luka Doncic, and Joel Embiid teammates at one point or another in his career. And he’s looking forward to the chance to play with Irving and Durant.
“You have Kyrie and KD who are great at what they do,” Curry said. “They draw a lot of attention. They do it themselves and create for other people. I’m trying to figure out how ways to help those guys. Throughout my career, I’ve been somebody who’s fit in with different types of stars.
“Whether it’s Luka, Dame, and CJ. It didn’t take me long to get used to playing with those guys. Just try to come in and do what I do and try to do it within the concept of the team.”
