Steve Kerr wants the Warriors to have one of the top-10 defenses in the NBA this season, and not having Klay Thompson is going to make it difficult to achieve that goal.
With the the five-time NBA All-Star sidelined because of a torn right Achilles tendon, Steph Curry will be thrust into a bigger role on the defensive end.
Is he up for that challenge? Does he have it in him?
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"I do my job, man," Curry said on a Monday afternoon conference call. "And know exactly what I need to do to hold up my bargain on that end of the floor. It's my job to take those challenges, take those matchups, and just compete. Bring effort.
"It's all about effort, it's about consistency (and) just the want-to to be in the right place at the right time. Definitely up for that challenge."
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The three-time NBA champion admitted that he was a "terrible" defender early in his career. That reputation stayed with him even when he made necessary improvements.
"The world knows Steph can't f--king play defense," Maverick Carter, LeBron James' business partner, erroneously declared back in April. "I'm 38 (and) haven't played a decent game of basketball in 18 years. Steph would have trouble guarding me ...
" ... he's actually really good off the ball on defense. He's a good steal artist. But he needs Klay (Thompson) and Draymond (Green) to kind of cover everything else so he can do his thing."
There is plenty of video evidence out there that proves Carter is very wrong.
"I've gotten a lot better," Curry said Monday. "Whether I get that acknowledgement or not, I don't care ... I do my job. I know when I'm locked in and when I'm not, and what that looks like."
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Golden State needs the two-time NBA MVP to be locked in consistently when the Warriors don't have the ball this season. If he is, it will go a long way.
The Dubs open the regular season Dec. 22 on the road against Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets.