Interview: From Duke to the D-League, Seth Curry is a Maverick

After a roller coaster first couple of years in the NBA, Seth Curry is a Dallas Maverick. We interview D-League/Draft guru Chris Reichert about Curry.

After capitalizing on the Kevin Durant decision by signing Harrison Barnes and trading for Andrew Bogut, Dallas turned to a young guard who surprisingly hit the unrestricted free agent market during free agency.

Seth Curry, who was supposed to be a restricted free agent, found himself hitting unrestricted free agency after Sacramento decided to go in another direction in their backcourt over the holiday weekend. A short time after, Dallas made the move.

Outside of his older brother, Stephen Curry, Seth isn’t the known commodity to most casual NBA fans. Outsiders view him as the “lesser” brother, but who exactly is the younger brother of the two-time MVP?

Who exactly is Dallas getting this summer?

I reached out to none other that D-League/NBA Draft guru Chris Reichert from Upside Motor. Reichert is the Editor of Upside Motor where he covers extensively NBA Draft and D-League prospects on a year-round basis.

Me: Outside of his big brother, what is Seth Curry known for around NBA circles?

Reichert: Seth is known — like Steph — as a shooter first and foremost. The issue holding Seth back was that he couldn’t do much else. Now that he’s gotten the chance to play the point in the NBA, teams were finally able to see that he could run a team, make plays, finish around the rim and still be a knockdown sniper from outside.

Me: Coming out of Duke, what was his scouting report and why was he not drafted?

Reichert: The scouting report out of Duke was Curry can shoot, but needs a good amount of room to get his shot off. He could make plays in a pinch but wasn’t necessarily a playmaker. The defense was the real concern though. His lateral quickness isn’t the greatest and he had to make up for that with his basketball IQ and fundamentals, but the concern was always there.

Me: Tell me about his time in the D-League

Reichert: Quite honestly he dominated the D-League. He’s was what we call a “AAAA” player; too good for the D-League but not quite good enough for the NBA. He had to prove that he could play point guard because at 6’2″, he’s just too small to play off the ball in the NBA. At Duke he played off the ball and for the majority of his time in the D-League he played off the ball because his shooting was so good that coaches wanted to utilize that skill set rather than have him ignite the offense.

His final year in Erie (2014-15) he averaged 23.8 points, 4.2 assists and 1.4 steals with shooting splits of .484/.467/.926 and more importantly you could just see the confidence building. A lot of these guys just need an opportunity and then they can stick — he earned three 10-day call ups (Cleveland, Memphis and Phoenix) before finally sticking with the Kings after being signed last year. Opportunity and timing are key.

Me: For two-years, $6 million, is he worth it?

Reichert: In this market — or even last year’s market — I think that’s a bargain for Curry. He gives a quality backup point guard and someone who can come off the bench and provide instant offense. He can still play off the ball next to Deron, J.J. or Devin if need be, but the defensive matchups are deadly in that scenario, so it’s likely Carlisle uses him in a backup capacity. Deron has had numerous injury issues, Barea is still Barea and Harris had an abysmal season in 2015-16, so maybe Curry gets the chance to earn 15-20 minutes a night and really prove his worth right away.

Me: What can he give the Mavs next year?

Reichert: Curry is a developing specialist. He’s already deadly from 3-point range, but at 25-years old he has yet to reach his basketball prime, so the growth he can achieve with the Mavericks is paramount. Can he develop into their point guard of the future? If not, he’s a damn good backup for the next two seasons.

Right now he brings instant offense, playmaking abilities and honestly some excitement. He electrified crowds in Sacramento over the last 20 games or so and I think he can ride that momentum into 2016-17 as well.

Next: Where Does Dwight Powell Fit in Dallas?

You can read more from @Chris_Reichert and @UpsideMotor here.