Philadelphia 76ers: Buckle up for Seth Curry to breakout at 30

Philadelphia 76ers fans better remember the name Seth Curry on opening night.

The number 30 is a special number for the Curry family.

Initially worn by Dell for the entirety of his 16 year NBA career, the number has since been worn by his sons, Steph and Seth during their respective college tenures at Davidson, Liberty, and Duke, in addition to their times in the NBA – though Seth has worn other numbers during abbreviated tenures with the Warriors, the Suns, the Grizzlies, and as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers for the 2018-19 season.

And now, at the tender age of 30, Steph’s younger brother is set to have his breakout season in this his seventh season in the NBA – adding a little extra magic to the family’s lucky number.

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I know, crazy, right? But it’s true. Since initially signing with the Warriors as an undrafted free agent – probably at the behest of his older brother – Seth has never quite found his footing at the game’s highest level. He played for four different teams over his first three seasons in the league – appearing in a game for Memphis, a game for the Cleveland, two games for Pheonix, and a 44 game tenure with the Kings – and then the player watched his next two seasons, with the Mavericks and Blazers respectively, derailed by injuries when he was just starting to step out on his own.

Unlucky? Maybe so, but if Curry wasn’t signed to an ultra-affordable four-year, $32 million deal, he likely wouldn’t be in Philly right now.

Over his two seasons in Dallas, with a pitstop in the Pacific Northwest sandwiched in between, Curry averaged 12.6 points per game while knocking down a team-high 43.9 percent of his shots from 3. Though he lacks his big brother’s abilities as a distributor, Curry’s rapidly become one of the league’s premier spot-up shooters, capable of knocking down 48.1 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s on over 200 attempts – the best clip of any shooter with over 100 attempts.

Do you know who is uniquely aware of this? That’d be the Sixers’ new President of Basketball Operations, Daryl Morey, who just so happens to have called Curry “the best 3 point shooter in the NBA” during his post-NBA Draft press conference.

Whether he ends up finding a spot in the Sixers’ starting five or he comes off the bench behind the 21st overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, Tyrese Maxey (more on him here), many envision a role for Curry in Doc Rivers‘ offense similar to his fellow former Dukie alum, J.J. Redick.

Fun fact: Seth Curry is married to Rivers’ ex-Volleyball player daughter Callie, making Doc the first person in Philadelphia 76ers/NBA history to coach his son and son-in-law.

In theory, that idea tracks. Like Redick, Curry is an active player without the ball in his hands and a knockdown shooter when he gets a look. He can operate out of screens, off of movement, and even create his own shot either around the rim or in the midrange. For a team like the Sixers with a supersized point guard adverse to shooting outside the paint, Curry is the ideal two guard capable of creating a shot for himself and others without having the ego typically associated with being a lead guard in the NBA.

When your brother is one of the best shooters in NBA history, it’s hard to have a massive ego about averaging 12 points per game.

Next. Trading Markelle Fultz for Tyrese Maxey is insane value. dark

Could this be the year where Seth Curry finally joins the 20 points per game club alongside his brother over in Golden State? Eh, probably not, but in 2019-20, the Sixers only had three players who averaged 15 or more points per game, so if Curry can up his averages just a tad and maybe make an extra 3 pointer per game, he could give an offense desperate for auxiliary shooting a major bump. After watching Brett Brown‘s offense limp along without J.J. Redick last season, it’ll be nice to have another sharpshooting Blue Devil ripping 3s off the wings.