Stephen Curry didn’t just lay the foundation for one of the greatest dynasties in the NBA; he also bent the game of basketball forever. If it weren’t for Stephen Curry’s greatness, LeBron James would have had at least one more championship in his resume. Despite LeBron’s greatness and a decade-long dominance, Curry and the Golden State Warriors finally became the biggest roadblock that James had ever faced in his career.

In the same boat as LeBron was Iman Shumpert, who played with the Los Angeles Lakers star for four years. Shumpert had the greatest four-year stretch of his basketball career, reaching four straight NBA Finals, every time he met with the same opponent. Curry’s Warriors won three of those four NBA Finals.

“Do you know the light-skinned man? All I’m saying is we have looked past him before. He’s already ruined my chances. I should have multiple rings. He ruined it,” Shumpert said about Curry, while picking the Warriors to make a run post All-Star Weekend.

Well, the Warriors and Curry are certainly not as dominating as they were in the last decade. After a second-round exit against the Minnesota Timberwolves last year, they are struggling to keep themselves in playoff contention. But it’s always a mistake to count out the baby-faced assassin. As a member of the 2016 championship Cavaliers that famously upset the Warriors, Shumpert knows better than most not to count Curry out

“The guy, I don’t know how he does it. He is Spider-Man, holding the two trains together. I don’t know how he does it, but if the Golden State surprises us this year, I ain’t surprised.”

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The Warriors have been plagued by injuries this season. Jimmy Butler went out with a season-ending knee injury. Curry has already missed 16 games this season, including a recent absence due to runner’s knee. While things have not been stable for the Warriors since Butler’s injury, they addressed it with the Kristaps Porzingis trade. But can it really work? That’s the real question they face moving ahead into the season.

Can the pairing of Kristaps Porzingis and Stephen Curry help the Warriors in a late-season push?

Porzingis comes with a lot of gifts when he joins the active roster. The 7’2” big man is a threat to any team in the paint. With Porzingis in the lineup, Steve Kerr hopes he shares the offensive load with Steph Curry. 

The Warriors can use him as a popper in pick-and-roll. Curry commands more defensive attention than any player in the league. They now have a player who can exploit those opportunities. On top of that, his pairing with Draymond Green on the frontcourt will also massively benefit the Warriors. The Warriors have the 8th-best defensive rating in the league. However, it slid to the 14th spot since Jimmy Butler’s injury. With Porzingis, they will have better rim protection and an excellent rebounder.

The Warriors already have the second-best bench in the league, generating 44.5 points per game. Assuming that Kerr will use Porzingis in the second unit, the Warriors are set for the time when Curry rests. The Warriors’ offense significantly drops with Curry off the floor. Now Kerr can use his newly added big man to his full advantage.

“Kristaps can do so much,” Warriors guard De’Anthony Melton said. “He’s a matchup nightmare for a lot of teams. I think Porzingis being out there is just going to give us a lot of size and a lot of mismatches that we need. Some teams he’s gonna kill just cause they can’t physically match up with him.”

However, once again, his health remains the most concerning part about him. He has been dealing with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) since last year. It is an incurable condition that causes breathing issues, exhaustion, and a rapid increase in heart rate when the person stands. Porzingis has been managing the condition, but he has also missed a good amount of time managing it. However, it remains to be seen if he can stay healthy for the remainder of the season