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It is a bit weird how much both of them have fallen off considering both were thick in the MVP discussion last year (and Curry even earlier this year).

I think we have to wait for bigger playoffs sample for either to draw clear conclusion of how far they are from their prime versions.

Curry hasn't been spectacular in the playoffs so far, but it's not like Warriors have been pushed to their limits. WCF should tell us a lot about where he is right now.

Harden looks considerably more diminished, but there is on thing in play - Harden hasn't fully recovered from his last season injury. He hasn't been spectacular in the playoffs so far, but he does his job well and he plays next to ball-dominant high volume scorer. I also think that the rest of the series along with potential ECF would tell us a lot about Harden, but we'll have to wait for the next year to be completely sure about his state.

70sFan wrote:I think we have to wait for bigger playoffs sample for either to draw clear conclusion of how far they are from their prime versions.

Curry hasn't been spectacular in the playoffs so far, but it's not like Warriors have been pushed to their limits. WCF should tell us a lot about where he is right now.

Harden looks considerably more diminished, but there is on thing in play - Harden hasn't fully recovered from his last season injury. He hasn't been spectacular in the playoffs so far, but he does his job well and he plays next to ball-dominant high volume scorer. I also think that the rest of the series along with potential ECF would tell us a lot about Harden, but we'll have to wait for the next year to be completely sure about his state.

I thought both looked less explosive and consistent in the regular season as well. I think they can tweak things and stay elite, but their best days are definitely behind them.

NO-KG-AI wrote:

70sFan wrote:I think we have to wait for bigger playoffs sample for either to draw clear conclusion of how far they are from their prime versions.

Curry hasn't been spectacular in the playoffs so far, but it's not like Warriors have been pushed to their limits. WCF should tell us a lot about where he is right now.

Harden looks considerably more diminished, but there is on thing in play - Harden hasn't fully recovered from his last season injury. He hasn't been spectacular in the playoffs so far, but he does his job well and he plays next to ball-dominant high volume scorer. I also think that the rest of the series along with potential ECF would tell us a lot about Harden, but we'll have to wait for the next year to be completely sure about his state.

I thought both looked less explosive and consistent in the regular season as well. I think they can tweak things and stay elite, but their best days are definitely behind them.

I think Curry definitely isn't on his peak level anymore, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him doing amazing things in the next two rounds (I really hope not though, I don't want to see another Warriors win ).

With Harden, it's definitely tougher because we have to wait for him recovering from the injury. I doubt he'll come back on his 2020 form, but he could still gain physical form over current version.

As of May 4 this year,

Stephen Curry shooting efficiency on "wide open" 3's (6+ feet of space from nearest defender) by season:

2017 - 46.4% (304 attempts)
2018 - 47.1% (208 attempts)
2019 - 52.3% (279 attempts)
2021 - 46.9% (162 attempts)
2022 - 40.9% (198 attempts)

I can't help but feel like this season might be a bit of an abberation with Curry's shooting and that we can expect his season next year to be a bit more efficient.

Harden needs to fully recover from his hamstring injury and I expect him to be better next year than he has been this year. Still though, he will be lesser than his 2021 self we saw before the hamstring I imagine.

Curry is done once teams stop respecting his 3-point shot. The way he is being guarded at the moment is by reputation only, I don't think it's just a slump anymore.

LukaTheGOAT wrote:As of May 4 this year,

Stephen Curry shooting efficiency on "wide open" 3's (6+ feet of space from nearest defender) by season:

2017 - 46.4% (304 attempts)
2018 - 47.1% (208 attempts)
2019 - 52.3% (279 attempts)
2021 - 46.9% (162 attempts)
2022 - 40.9% (198 attempts)

I can't help but feel like this season might be a bit of an abberation with Curry's shooting and that we can expect his season next year to be a bit more efficient.

Harden needs to fully recover from his hamstring injury and I expect him to be better next year than he has been this year. Still though, he will be lesser than his 2021 self we saw before the hamstring I imagine.

Yeah, Harden could definitely still have more in the tank but hamstring injuries are nasty and tend to linger for a long time so it’s tough to say. Harden also has a history of playing through injury and keeping smaller, lingering injuries close to his chest. I can think of several injuries off the top of my head he’s had that have impacted his play that have gotten almost zero media play.

One other thing I will give him credit for is that he is completely willing to scale his role down, even pre injury with the Nets he was fantastic at focusing on facilitating. That definitely bodes well for him being a productive, key contributor on title contending teams as he ages.

They'll be 35 and 33 next year, don't think it's really a question to if their decline has begun. They could possibly have better seasons than this one, but i don't expect them to be anywhere near peak form.