Halo

That Curry kid sure can play, huh? Word is that his big brother isn’t bad either.

That’s right—we’re talking about Seth Curry, former Duke standout and NBA D-League sensation who opened a ton of eyes with the New Orleans Pelicans at the Las Vegas Summer League.

He’s Stephen’s little brother, but he’s no longer just Stephen’s little brother.

According to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times, Curry’s performance this summer might be enough to land him a guaranteed deal with NOLA:



However, general manager Dell Demps appeared on NBA TV earlier in the week and gave that rumor a reality check, via SB Nation’s The Bird Writes:

"Where is Racine?” Demps asked with a laugh, gently jabbing the report. "We have not made any decisions right now. We're obviously looking at him but we want to make sure we add the right players to the roster."

Curry played himself into getting at least a shot somewhere. But being that he’s linked to the Pelicans, let’s put that potential pairing under a microscope.



Big Fish, Little Pond



The 6’2” 24-year-old has quietly built up a solid hoops resume after going undrafted in 2013.

He averaged 19.7 points per game for the Santa Cruz Warriors in 2013-14 and then 23.8 this past season for the Erie BayHawks. He bumped his shooting percentage from 43.7 to 48.4 and, more importantly, upped his three-point accuracy from 37.2 to 46.7.

But the reason we’re talking about Curry now is what he did the Summer League. He led the entire field with 24.3 points an outing, taking the Pelicans to a 5-1 record only to fall victim to Devin Booker’s 31-point explosion in the semifinals.



Curry was a member of the All-League First Team, per NBA.com’s Jim Eichenhofer:



In fairness, Summer League dominance does not equate to NBA relevance. Last year’s leading scorer (and MVP) was Glen Rice Jr., who saw just five games for the Washington Wizards before getting waived in January.

So let’s not crown Curry as some sort of superstar just yet. But as Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley wrote, Curry’s breakout does feel real:

Curry looks as good as he ever has. While summer-league outbursts can be deceiving, this one feels worth trusting.

This isn't some unknown commodity stringing a few nice outings together. There's a track record that can attest to these skills, a resume that suggests what we're seeing isn't an anomaly. Rather, this is the result of Curry's internal growth and favorable external circumstances.

Curry has the makings of a rotation player at the highest level in basketball. He won’t be a star, but his ability to sink—and create—outside shots makes him desirable.

Again, this guy will get a chance somewhere. But will that place be in New Orleans? And a more important question: Should it?



Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen?



Darren Erman, the head coach of NOLA’s summer team and associate head coach of the real team, offered respect for Curry, but also kept it real with Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

“I think he’s an NBA player,” Erman said. “His stock has risen around the league with his play here in Vegas. We know he‘s good enough. … I think it‘s going to come down to numbers.”

Here’s a number: Four—as in, the amount of potential backcourt players the Pels have over Curry on the depth chart.



Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday will likely be the ones running the offense, which isn’t something the team would expect Curry to do anyway.

Michael McNamara, editor of ESPN TrueHoop's Bourbon Street Shots, believes Norris Cole (and Curry) will get a deal soon, which isn't great news for the fella in parenthesis' playing time:



Add in 2-guard Eric Gordon, who is due almost $16 million next season, as the spot-up/long-range shooter, and Curry would likely be relegated to the back of the bench.

But—and this is a gargantuan but—Curry, if given an opportunity, would figure to bring something that the Pels greatly lacked last season: three-point shooting.



At times this summer, it almost looked like Riley’s dad was out there running around in a Pelicans jersey. Curry hit a whole bunch of unconventional shots off the dribble, the kind that turn “What is that!?” to “Hey, nice shot” in a heartbeat.

Last season, New Orleans shot the long-ball well, but not often. The team ranked fourth with a mark of 37 percent but 19th with 7.1 converted triples per game. Curry, even if he does nothing else, could bump that number up.

There really isn’t a huge risk in signing him, so who cares if there’s not a clear spot for the former Blue Devil? As we’ve seen in recent years, injuries can be killers. Holiday, in particular, has been plagued with recurring ailments to his right leg the past two seasons.



Could having a legitimate shooter and potential playmaker in the holster really hurt? It’s hard to make an argument against it, especially being that Curry won’t make a huge dent in the payroll.

Think of it as an extension of the draft. Sometimes, teams with relatively balanced rosters opt to select the best player available, despite lacking an immediate need for him. This is a similar case, as Curry would be joining a crowded backcourt.

But the kid can flat-out shoot, and he’s also improved his playmaking ability.



“He's made this the Seth Curry show,” Erman said, per CBS Sports’ James Herbert. “He's making plays, too, not just making shots but getting to the rim, finishing. His touch around the basket—I didn't know he was that good with those floaters and all that.”

The reigning MVP shouldn’t exactly be threatened by his baby bro, but Seth has proven to be worthy of a chance at the pro level.

“I feel like I've been very underrated and very kind of disrespected so far in my career," Curry said, via Herbert. “I just take the same approach every time out: try to go out there and dominate and be the best player on the court.”

New Orleans, a team that has recently suffered with injury trouble and volume three-point shooting, should give him that chance—even though at the moment, there’s no clear-cut role for him.

Stats are courtesy of NBA.com and RealGM.

Read more New Orleans Pelicans news on BleacherReport.com



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