Stephen Curry enters Wednesday's notable ESPN spotlight game against the defending champion Denver Nuggets averaging 30.9 PPG, and only three players have scored more points.
Curry has averaged nearly six 3-pointers per game, an astounding, record pace, and he is hitting 53% of his overall field goals, which if it continues would also be a personal best for him. Everything seems great for Curry, perhaps an early leader for league MVP honors, both statistically and otherwise, in his age-35 season.
Well, things are mostly great... except for the notable drop in assists.
They're not totally gone, but 4.3 APG is not the Curry we know in fantasy basketball. He averaged 6.3 APG last season, roughly his career mark, and a Warriors figure topped solely by PF/C Draymond Green. That was about it for Warriors ballhandlers.
Of course, now that future Hall of Fame PG Chris Paul is a Warrior, even one coming off the bench and with rather limited minutes for him, things have surely changed. The Warriors are 6-2, and care little about individual statistics, but fantasy managers sure do.
Curry's fantasy production is slightly down -- not up
Even though Curry is one of only seven players averaging better than 30 traditional points per game, which he hasn't done for a full season since 2020-21, his fantasy production is a bit down, and we can firmly blame the drop in assists.
Curry averaged 51 fantasy points per game last season, the No. 10 mark in the sport, and for those in roto/categories formats, he was even better, thanks to his incredible shooting and a big lead in 3-pointers per game. Even now, he is second on the Player Rater to Nuggets C Nikola Jokic, as Curry's rise in scoring and 3-pointers makes up for the lack of assists.
Still, those in roto/category formats thought they were using their first-round pick on a point guard who would contribute quite a bit more assists, and Curry is not achieving that through eight games. For points leagues, he is averaging 47.9 fantasy points per game, down from prior seasons.
Put simply, Green directs the offense when the starters are out there, often searching for open 3-pointer shooters such as Curry and SG/SF Klay Thompson, and Paul runs things when he is in the game, even when it overlaps with Curry. Oh, this offensive adjustment works for the Warriors. The constantly moving Curry dominates off the ball, and he gets as many 3-point attempts as he desires, even though his minutes are down from recent seasons.
However, fantasy managers in roto/category leagues have noticed. For perspective, 30 players have more assists than Curry, a group including Philadelphia 76ers C Joel Embiid, Miami Heat SG/PG Tyler Herro and Orlando Magic PF/SF Paolo Banchero.
Curry is 54th in assists per game, behind surprising providers such as San Antonio Spurs C/PF Zach Collins and PF/PG Jeremy Sochan, Sacramento Kings SG/SF Malik Monk and Minnesota Timberwolves SF/PF Kyle Anderson. It may not matter in points formats, because we don't care how we get those points, but what happens if his shooting efficiency decreases, or his pace of 3-pointers lowers? Then we would care.
For longtime Curry investors in dynasty/keeper leagues, let's face it, we have been rather spoiled. Curry turned 35 in March, and still he has led the Warriors in scoring each game. That is a first in league history. No player aged 35 or older has ever averaged 30 PPG through the first eight games of any season. Curry has had great starts to seasons before, and he shows no signs of decline. We have no doubt he could average 10 APG if he really wanted to.
On this team, however, one that clearly targeted a second point guard instead of a shooter such as departed SG/PG Jordan Poole (now underachieving with the Washington Wizards), it is not the optimal way to feature his talents. Golden State's second unit is arguably the best in the league, offensively and defensively, and Paul is a major reason.
CP3's impact on the Warriors
Paul, 38, saw his scoring load lessened in recent seasons with the Phoenix Suns, but he remained one of the premier assist options in the sport, and a valuable fantasy option.
Through eight contests with his latest squad, Paul averages a modest 8.8 PPG and 7.8 APG, with fewer than one turnover per game. He has really struggled with his 3-point shooting, hitting only 13.8% of his attempts, but this will improve. Paul is a career 36% shooter on 3-pointers.
While the numbers may not look outstanding, nobody can match Paul in assist-to-turnover ratio this season, and it keys his fantasy value. Fantasy managers in points leagues appreciate this new style of production. Incredibly, Paul is the No. 40 points league scorer -- and second among all Warriors -- nestled between Milwaukee Bucks PF/C Giannis Antetokounmpo and Sacramento Kings PF/C Domantis Sabonis. Not all fantasy options need to score 25 PPG!
Paul isn't scoring much traditionally, but the combination of assists, steals and lack of turnovers makes him far more valuable than most would expect. Green ranks 93rd in points scoring.
Final thoughts
As to whether or not Curry is a strong trade target in ESPN standard points leagues, the drop in assists is hardly enough to scare potential investors off, especially if he continues his record pace for 3-pointers and shooting efficiency.
For those in roto/category leagues that may be struggling to keep pace in assists, though, it is a different issue. Keep Curry around, of course. He is that special and, as long as he remains healthy, this may be his latest MVP campaign, for the NBA and fantasy purposes.
Those desperate for assists may need to supplement their team and invest in readily available options such as Utah Jazz SG/SF Talen Horton-Tucker, Detroit Pistons PG Killian Hayes, Philadelphia 76ers PG/SG De'Anthony Melton and aforementioned Timberwolves SF/PF Kyle Anderson.
They offer differing levels of production in other areas but, remember, if you roster Curry, things are already going quite well in scoring, 3-pointers and the shooting categories!