What's The Scouting Report For Steph Curry? Cam Johnson Breaks It Down

For NBA players, defending Steph Curry is one of the hardest assignments out there. How exactly do you contain the greatest three-point shooter to ever set foot in the NBA?

Cam Johnson, whose agility and size are a good match for Curry on paper, admits that it’s easier said than done. Still, the Denver Nuggets forward knows that he has to try anyway.

“When you’re looking at his scouting report, it’s pickup points,” Johnson said on a recent episode of “The Old Man and the Three” podcast. “Where are you going to pick him up? Are you going to be physical with him? You have to understand where he comes off ball screens and how he gets there.”

Johnson went on to share a story about Curry’s unlimited shooting range. “We played him in Brooklyn last year, and there was one second left in the first half…I’m guarding Steph, he’s at halfcourt, maybe a step in front of it and his back is to the basket, almost. I’m two feet away from him, maybe an arm’s length…He turns around and chucks it over his head. Ball goes in.”

Lesson learned for the 6-foot-8 guy? “There’s no scouting report for that. Except, just be close to him and try to bother him,” Johnson said bluntly.

For 17 years, opposing teams have tried to find effective ways to curtail Curry’s impeccable shooting. Everything from double-teams to full-court pickups to bigger defenders has been tried, but by and large, the Golden State Warriors superstar has figured out how to get off his shots with unbelievable accuracy.

Will Johnson have to relive the nightmare of guarding Curry any time soon? The Nuggets have one more regular season game against the Warriors on March 30, but given Curry’s recent track record of injuries, there’s no guarantee that the four-time NBA champion will be suiting up by then. Still, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that the Warriors will make it out of the play-in tournament and jump straight into a first-round matchup with the Nuggets.

When that happens, Johnson will have to brush up once again on Curry scouting reports. Maybe, amidst that pile of papers, he’ll figure out something that will give him a fighting chance against the NBA’s all-time three-point king.