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Seth Curry is outstanding from three-point range for Dallas Mavs
Seth Curry is outstanding from three-point range for Dallas Mavs

Injured Seth Curry, Once A Product of 'Mom and Prom,' A Big Need For Mavs

Dallas Mavericks Guard Seth Curry Is Among The NBA's Finest Shooters. So Why Did It Take So Long to Hit the Big Time? Blame 'Mom and Prom'

You know Seth Curry's brother. You know Seth Curry's dad. So why did it take so long for the basketball world to recognize Seth Curry?

Blame his Mom. And the prom.

Seth, the son of Sonya and Dell Curry, is making his way just fine, now, thank you, as one of the NBA's hottest shooters and a big helper to the playoff-bound Dallas Mavericks. ... though at this moment, as the Mavs are at San Antonio tonight in a 7 p.m. tip, Seth's value is being evidenced by his absence. Dallas lost to the Pacers on Sunday in part because the Mavs were betrayed by their 3-point shooting, and Seth will miss again tonight due to an ankle injury. (Also tonight, Jalen Brunson, Willie Cauley-Stein and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are out, and Luka Doncic and Dorian Finney-Smith are questionable.)

Along Curry's path, he did finally play at Duke, so he was far from invisible even before the NBA.

But Seth was not heavily recruited coming out of high school, having spent his freshman season at Liberty University prior to transferring to Duke to play for coach Mike Krzyzewski.

And why the delay? He wasn't heavily-recruited. And why was that?

Curry blames that on Sonya, according to Mom herself, telling the tale to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via AirrQuote):

"Seth blames it on me,'' she said, "because there is a big tournament that all the coaches were coming and his name was being thrown out there ... And he decided he wasn’t gonna come in for curfew from a prom or homecoming. And I told him, 'You’re not going to the tournament.''

Steph Curry's path was a bit bumpy, too, as he played at Davidson College. But when Davidson made noise in the 2008 NCAA Tournament, Steph was on the map, following dad Dell's footsteps into the NBA.

Seth’s career? Bumpier still, as he was for a time thought of as a G-League-level guy. He wasn't picked during the 2013 NBA Draft, ended up helping the Kings at the 2015-16 season, was gobbled up by GM Donnie Nelson and the Mavs that summer, departed for the Blazers two seasons ago, and via a four-year, $32-mil contract boomeranged back to Dallas this year. ...

Where everything is clicking.

At age 29, Curry is a high-rotation player on a good team, averaging 12.5 points while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 45 percent from the arc (where he ranks in the top handful of shooters ever) and seen by his coach as a pivotal piece of the Mavs puzzle.

"Great shooting is something that is a commodity in this league,” Carlisle said. “You’ve got to have it to be successful, and the stats will tell you he’s one of the very best.''