Ball-handling is a science only a few basketball intellectuals understand. Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry is one of them. The two-time MVP has one of the best handles in the NBA. It makes him one of the toughest covers in the league. Many players can dribble the rock, but it only helps a minute group of people.
When you think of players who have the ball on a string at all times, names like Allen Iverson, Jason Williams, Jamal Crawford, Kyrie Irving, and Stephen Curry come up in the discussion. This group of dribblers all have one thing in common, and Curry has one extra thing they don't have.
These players' handles helped them build a career that was entertaining to watch and difficult to contain. If you were a defender trying to guard these guys, you were doing your best not to end up on the highlight reel the following day. Trying to stop them one on one is almost impossible.
A mixture of fast dribbles, hesitation moves, and the crossover has been the bread and butter for smaller players in the NBA. These moves are evolving daily, and it's getting tougher to deal with Stephen Curry.
Curry doesn't waste a single dribble. Every bounce of the ball is with a purpose, and that purpose is to get to his spots. He understands fancy dribbling in the same location on the floor won't work in the NBA. Curry's ability to avoid killing his dribble aids him when maneuvering around the court. That's one thing that places Curry among the elite ball-handlers.
Unlike most players, Stephen Curry can let it fly from anywhere. As soon as he crosses halfcourt, defenders try to engage him. The threat of him shooting from deep puts fear in opponents, so they try to make him work early. That's when Curry decides to use his dribbling to get free.
Players overreact to almost every move Curry throws at them because they don't want him to shoot. If Stephen Curry shoots the ball, it's a good chance of it going in. Teams do whatever they can to limit Curry's looks, but no matter how hard they try, it usually doesn't work.
It often ends with a hesitation move to get the defender to react, and he's either launching a three or taking it to the rack. There isn't a bad shot when Stephen Curry is the shooter, and that's the secret to his lethal handle.
While other players are great at handling the ball, and some might be better than Curry when dribbling, nobody's ball-handling sets up the shot they want the way Stephen Curry's dribble does.
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