Steph Curry Breaks Down His Most Underrated Skill

“You can exhaust your opponent,” Curry said, highlighting his relentless approach. “In the first quarter, they may be physically and mentally rested. Their adrenaline is pumping, their minds coordinating well with their bodies. That's when they are most formidable. But let's see them in the third quarter. Fourth quarter."

"That's what I gear all my training for these days, but it has always been my strategy, even in high school and college: Cover ground, play on and off the ball, and stay in relentless motion for the whole game. There will always be stronger, faster guys out there who try to make my life miserable. But I try to counter that with never staying in the same spot for more than a second.”

Never Gassed

While most people who have never played at the highest level assume that professional athletes have immaculate conditioning, Curry learned that simply wasn’t the case and that there were significant advantages to be gained.

“It was a little surprising how well it worked,” Curry admitted “I came into the league believing that everyone would be at a high level of conditioning. But they're not. Some people are just coasting on the thing that has al- ways worked for them-an advantage in talent or size or athleticism.

The point of conditioning is that it allows you to do whatever your best thing is all the time, not just in short bursts. Some people can procrastinate and then summon superhuman focus "when it counts" because of a deadline. But I believe it always counts.” 

Curry's conditioning is also a key contributor to the fact that he's still one of the best guards in the NBA going into his 17th season at age 37.