2016 NBA Finals, Game 6. The Warriors carry a 3-2 record in the series and have had the best regular season in NBA history behind them. But as the final minutes approach, everything begins to spiral. Cleveland finds an open crack in the Golden State’s shining armor– it’s not in a backup or bench rotation but in their celebrated MVP. The Cavaliers get on a relentless Stephen Curry hunt, exploiting switches and getting him into foul trouble. His frustrations start boiling over. The results are six fouls, a thrown mouthpiece, and an ejection. Regardless of Curry’s offensive brilliance, his defensive side becomes the series’ biggest question mark. The conversation around him– about him– started to shift. It wasn’t about his greatness, but whether he can be trusted on both ends of the floor, especially when it matters the most.

Those moments, however painful and public, weren’t the end of the story. They were the beginning of a turning point. Steve Kerr didn’t continue to “hide” Steph anymore. He helped him evolve. Curry committed himself to becoming stronger, smarter, and more resilient. He hit the weight room, packed on 15 lbs of functional muscle, and sharpened his understanding of defensive schemes. “He got a little stronger, he got a little wiser, he got better and better and better and better,” Austin Rivers later reflected in the Off Guard Podcast. Curry was no longer the Warriors’ hunted liability.

He evolved into a reliable part of their lineup, earning praise not just from Kerr but also from defensive anchor Draymond Green himself. His defensive growth, marked by career-highs in steals, deflections, and blocked short midrange attempts in 2021, pointed to serious preparation and film study. Speaking on 95.7 The Game, Green spoke of Curry, “Now, he’s one of the best defenders we have on our team.” And yet, old narratives die hard.

We’re now in the 2025 playoffs. It’s Game 4 of the Warriors-Rockets first-round series, and Kerr once again has pulled Curry out of a defensive possession late in the game against Houston. The discourse has reignited– only with newer layers this time. Was this proof that Curry still couldn’t be trusted defensively?

Austin Rivers: Bringing Stephen Curry out on defense was “nothing personal”

On the Off Guard pod, Pausha Haghighi asked Austin Rivers this: “What do you think about the other day when the Warriors won against the Rockets, the last possession for the Rockets, Steve Kerr took Steph out on defense?” Considering Steph’s obvious defensive woes, it should be obvious right? Well, according to his brother-in-law Rivers, it was nothing personal- just business.

“That’s fine, man. I listen, I understand typically what doesn’t happen with a player like that when you’re talking about one of the greatest of all time. But if you have someone who’s physically a better defender on the team, the object of the game is to win. It’s nothing personal,” said Rivers on the pod.

Despite Steph’s initial defensive woes, Austin Rivers does think that there’s improvement on that front. But that doesn’t mean he can be thrown into the defensive deep end and perform like someone like Draymond Green. So Steve Kerr’s justified his moves time and time again. There’s a reason he’s won 9 championships in total, right?

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