Curry s early career was too regretful, and his injury and no stable position were available, and his total score was only 25,386 points

On July 2, Stephen Curry, the superstar who changed the modern basketball landscape, redefined the way the game was played with his unparalleled three-point shooting. However, when we open the NBA's historical total score list, we will find that the four-time champion ranks 24th in history with 25,386 points, which does not seem to match his epoch-making basketball influence. Deeply delving into Curry’s career, we will find that behind this is a complex story about injuries, positioning and opportunities.

The first six years of Curry's career can be regarded as a bloody and tearful history of fighting against injuries. After being selected by the Warriors with the 7th pick in the first round in 2009, the Davidson Academy sharpshooter quickly showed extraordinary projection talent. His rookie averaged 17.5 points per game and his three-point shooting percentage of 43.7% has already attracted the league's attention. However, in the 2010-11 season, Curry suffered a serious right ankle injury and missed eight games throughout the season. What's worse is that in the 2011-12 season, he suffered repeated injuries to his right ankle and eventually announced his season reimbursement after only 26 games. Medical reports at the time showed that Curry's right ankle ligament had loosened to the point where he might end his career. In April 2012, he underwent arthroscopy of the right ankle to repair the torn ligament and remove the fragmented bone. During this period, Curry even needed to wear special protective gear to walk normally. In addition to injury, Curry's early positioning in the team also limited his scoring outbreak. During Mark Jackson's coaching period, the Warriors' offensive system was more inclined to traditional play, and Curry was more used as a pure shooter. In the 2012-13 season, although Curry played 78 games in health, he averaged 22.9 points per game, with a usage rate of 27.9%, far lower than his later performance under the Cole system. At that time, the backcourt partner Monta Ellis was also a scorer who needed a lot of ball holding, and the chemistry between the two on the court was not ideal. It was not until the Warriors traded Ellis to the Bucks in 2012 that Curry really gained the position of the team as the core. The turning point of

The turning point occurred in the 2014-15 season. After Steve Cole took office as head coach, he completely liberated Curry's offensive potential. Cole's "Happy Basketball" concept and dynamic offensive system made Curry feel in the water. His usage rate soared to 31.3%, averaging points to 23.8 points, and led the Warriors to the best record in team history with 67 wins. This season, Curry not only won his first MVP trophy in his career, but also won the championship. More importantly, the Cole system maximizes the protection of Curry, turning the once fragile point guard into an iron man by reducing unnecessary physical confrontation and optimizing the distribution of playing time. In the 2015-16 season, Curry played one of the most dominant individual performances in NBA history, averaging 30.1 points per game, a three-point shooting percentage of 45.4%, hit 402 three-pointers in a single season, and was elected as the MVP with unanimous votes.

However, even in its later peak periods, Curry's score accumulation was still subject to multiple factors. First of all, his selfless style of playing. Curry never deliberately pursues personal data and often ends early when the game loses suspense. He scored 50+ points in his career only 19 times. Secondly, in the three years after Durant joined (2016-19), Curry's average shots per game dropped from 20.2 to 16.4. Although it is more efficient, the growth of total scores naturally slowed down. Furthermore, Cole's insistence on load management strategy has also allowed Curry to miss an average of 10-15 games per season. Compared with James Harden's almost overdrafted usage rate during the Rockets, although Curry's health-preserving style has extended his career, he also paid the price of slow accumulation of total scores.

When we consider Curry's total score in a historical context, we will find more intriguing details. Among the active players, only James, Durant, Harden and Westbrook have higher career scores than Curry. Considering that Curry entered the league one year later than Durant and one year earlier than Harden, this gap mainly stems from the early injuries and system adaptation issues mentioned above. Compared with the great scorers in history, Curry's total score is only 685 points away from Garnett, who is ranked 20th (26,071 points). According to his average of about 25 points per game in recent years, he is expected to surpass him next season. What is more noteworthy is Curry's scoring efficiency: he is the only guard in NBA history with a career-real shooting percentage of more than 62% (as of the 2024-25 season), which is even higher than Durant, who is known for his efficiency.

Looking to the future, Curry, who is already 37 years old, still maintains an elite competitive state. In the 2024-25 season, he still averaged 26.3 points per game and shot 41.2% from three-pointers. If he can stay healthy, Curry has a good chance of breaking the 30,000-point mark before retirement, which will make him the second active player to achieve this achievement after James. But even if this milestone is not finally reached, Curry's legendary status will not be shaken. After all, the legacy he left to the basketball world goes far beyond scoring statistics – he has completely changed the sport’s offensive philosophy, proving that outside shooting can be the basis for winning the championship, and influenced the play choices of a generation of young players.

Looking back at Curry's career scoring journey, those early setbacks now seem more like the arrangement of fate. It was those injuries that forged his tenacious will, and those unknown periods that accumulated his game wisdom. If the total score list reflects durability and stability, Curry used his outstanding performance in the later stage to prove that a great story does not care whether the beginning is bumpy, but how talent and persistence are transformed into the power to change the game. In this sense, Curry has won something more precious than a scoring record—a redefinition of basketball.