Sixers: 3 goals for Seth Curry in 2021-22 season

3 goals for Sixers guard Seth Curry: Improve defensively

Seth Curry is a 6-foot-2, 185-pound guard without elite athleticism or strength. He will face natural limitations on the defensive end as a result. Even so, he’s not a bad defender. At least, not in the tradition of J.J. Redick before him. He is, however, a weak link in Philadelphia’s top-five defense.

When the Hawks beat Philadelphia in Game 7, it was spurred by Kevin Heurter’s shocking 27-point explosion. That came mostly at the expense of Curry, who was bullied all night by the lanky 6-foot-6 guard. Sometimes you run into a hot hand, but the Sixers cannot afford important stretches in which Curry is unplayable. He was great in the Hawks series (more on that next), but his defense tanked them in the season’s biggest game.

Curry has effort and awareness needed to play respectable D. There’s a chance he will never “get better,” because again, most of his limitations are physical, not mental. That’s not his fault. Even so, he has to get better. He should aim to be at least playable in big moments. You can accept James Harden playing bully ball, but Kevin Heurter stealing your lunch money generally means there is room for improvement.

The Sixers can only make marginal complaints about Curry’s offense. He could become a more advanced playmaker, sure, but his main skill set is drilling 3s, and he does that better than just about everyone. It’s defense where teams look to exploit Curry. The question is, can he make them less eager to target him?