Stephen Curry's play hasn't just redefined scoring in the NBA, it's seeping into everything. Some are blaming Curry for the decline of youth basketball as kids who "want to be like Steph" are jacking up shots from deep and passing up layups, while his ludicrous accuracy from deep could force an overhaul of the NBA 2K series all together.
Forbes broke down the problem with Mike Wang, gameplay director for NBA 2K. He explains that trying to balance the game around three-pointers is ruined when trying to accurately represent Curry's play.
"To be completely honest, we are still looking for ways to better translate his game into NBA 2K," says Wang. "He's a ‘rule breaker' when it comes to jump shooting ... he becomes a problem in the video game world where we've been trying to train our gamers [to know] that certain types of shots should be rewarded versus others."
This is the Steph conundrum: His play defies all logic, but still works. We're conditioned to believe that shots from insanely deep ranges or contested threes rarely get drained -- but he does it every single night. It's not a simple fix like jacking his three-point stat through the roof, because even the best shooters miss these kinds of shots. A new game needs to be created around him
"Taking 3s off the dribble are also definitely discouraged in NBA 2K," Wang adds. "Especially after over-dribbling beforehand."
Steph does this easily. The only solution is putting Steph on an island and developing elements of the game around him entirely. This is the kind of work that will need to take place in order to accurately represent him in the game, and it will need to be built around him exclusively.
"We're going to have to invest even more time in future iterations to really let Steph be Steph in future versions of NBA 2K."
Until that time we're going to have to live with moments like this:
Man 2k fake as fuck. I want my money back! @NBA2K @Ronnie2K pic.twitter.com/p3hP96VFIF
— KU®T SN❄W (@HDKG) February 28, 2016