Why Knicks’ McBride labels Steph Curry as toughest player to guard originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
There is more talent in NBA these days than ever. But Steph Curry — at age 35 and entering his 15th season in the league — still haunts every defender he comes across.
In a recent interview, New York Knicks third-year guard Miles McBride named Curry the most difficult player he has defended across two NBA seasons.
“The thing with Steph is — one, he’s strong. Way stronger than people think,” McBride said. “You can’t knock him off balance. Like that’s obviously a part of the reason he’s such a great shooter.”
Curry entered the NBA as a scrawny youngster out of Davidson who struggled to stay healthy. That slowly changed over time as he added vigorous strength training to his daily routine, something his teammates noticed picked up over the last few years.
“He is strong. And when I say strong, I mean strong,” Warriors forward Draymond Green told ESPN last summer. “Like, if you go in our weight room, and we’re doing dumbbell bench press, Steph is in the hundred [pound] club. Not many people get to the hundred club. His legs [are] super strong. That change happened [in 2021].”
But of course, it’s not all about strength when it comes to Curry’s greatness.
“I think he’s also just seen every possible type of defense,” McBride said. “So, when I was guarding him, I could just see him reading how I’m guarding him, so he already knows how the rest of the defense is guarding him or vice versa.
“It’s the unknown — that freedom is unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
McBride has shared the court with Curry twice in his young career. Both games ended in a win for the Warriors — and it’s not like Curry went off in either. Curry scored 22 points and 24 points in those two matchups, knocking down five 3-pointers in each game.
That was enough for McBridge to consider Curry his toughest opponent to guard. Just imagine if he were there for when the superstar dropped 54 at Madison Square Garden in 2013.
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