PHILADELPHIA — Ben Simmons hasn’t been the only Nets guard working his way back from offseason surgery. While Simmons has taken a majority of the focus to start his year, sharpshooter Seth Curry has slowly been regaining his confidence since missing eight of the first nine games this season.
Curry has played on a more consistent basis since that span and has only missed one more game since then. Going into the highly anticipated meeting with the Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday, Curry had put up 10 points in the Nets’ win over Memphis on Sunday and shot 50% from the field.
“Getting stronger with my legs. Just getting those reps,” Curry said about the next steps of his progression. “I was talking to coach earlier, he was like, you haven’t played — I don’t know how many games I’ve played, six, seven games or whatever – but I haven’t played pickup all summer. He was like: ‘Preseason used to be eight games, and you haven’t played a full preseason schedule.’ Just getting out there, playing basketball, getting my rhythm right, that’ll allow me to be more consistent.
“I’ve shown flashes but I just haven’t been myself for long stretches lately, like I’m used to. Just about getting out there, getting reps and trying to produce.”
Curry won’t need to be the go-to shooter that he had to be last season while the Nets were without Joe Harris, but getting him back to the level that he was will be an important asset for Brooklyn. In the eight games that he has suited up for, Curry has shot 41.0% from the field and 34.3% from beyond the arc while averaging 8.5 points a game.
While Curry has shot a combined 0-for-6 from three-point range in the last two games, but he remained confident while speaking with reporters that the consistency in his game will come.
“Just steadily getting better. I mean just up and down fighting some things consistency-wise of feeling 100 percent,” he said. “Had some good nights, had some slower nights where I’m not all the way there but it’s a long process. Long season and eventually I’ll get to where I need to be.”
The focus for Tuesday’s game had been on Ben Simmons’ return to Philadelphia, but the trip down the New Jersey Turnpike brought up old memories for Curry too. He was also part of the deal that sent James Harden to Philly and Simmons to Brooklyn.
While he wasn’t the main focal point of the deal, he did recall how chaotic it was to be swept up in all of the drama leading up to the deadline trade.
For more Nets coverage, visit amNY.com and our affiliate site at TheBrooklynGame.com
“It’s a lot of people talking about it. It’s kind of hectic on the outside,” Curry said. “But as a player on the inside, for me, what allowed me to go over to Brooklyn and play well right away was just focus on myself and not listen to the rumors or anything that’s going on. Just go in, keep my same routines even though I’m switching teams, and try to fit in and do what I do.
“So for me, like I said, just taking my routines and what I do as a player here and take it over to Brooklyn and do the same thing. So for me, I tried to just keep it simple.”
