Stephen Curry in action (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
After witnessing Stephen Curry’s greatness in both high-stakes games and intense private workouts, Brandon Payne remains accustomed to what he sees.
Countless times, Curry’s personal trainer has seen the Golden State Warriors superstar take and make shots that only he can. Countless times, Payne has observed the supposedly scrawny point guard show off his strength and athleticism with how much he lifts, how fast he runs, and how he absorbs relentless physical contact. Countless times, Payne has seen Curry perform in his prime as if he doesn’t have an expiration date.
After training the 37-year-old this past summer ahead of his 17th NBA season, Payne noted something that leaves the Warriors feeling excited and the rest of the NBA feeling concerned.
“What jumps out is he continues to get better,” Payne told RG.org.
In an extensive interview, Payne detailed how Curry has improved and how he expects him to build off his chemistry with Jimmy Butler. Payne also shares his outlook on Curry’s quest to win his fifth NBA championship and crack the 50-40-90 club for the second time in his career, and much more.
Editor’s note: The following one-on-one interview has been edited and condensed.
Interview with Brandon Payne
– I’m aware that Steph has been all over the place this offseason. But what have been the highlights with the work he’s done with you?
– We’ve been at this together since 2011, so it shouldn’t surprise me that he’s continuing to get better. But it’s always shocking with just how sharp and how crisp he is with his improvement through these offseasons. It’s just an amazing thing to be a part of and see somebody that has achieved as much as he has achieved. But as he great as he is, he continues to find ways to improve. It’s very inspiring.
– In what ways do you think Steph got better this offseason?
– Processing speed and making decisions faster. We’ve really made a big effort to stay completely away from patterns in any shape or form this offseason and make everything a read and make everything a reaction. Even with his shooting, there has been a lot of reactive shooting. These are things that very, very difficult to do for most players. But he makes it look routine and easy. That has been a big point of emphasis for us this year – to continue to be able to react faster and be able to execute better.
– Why did you feel it was important to make reading and reacting the main point of emphasis this offseason?
– As players advance in their careers, sometimes they may lose a step. That hasn’t happened with Stephen at all. As a matter of fact, he’s actually jumping better than he’s ever jumped.
His first-step quickness and explosiveness is the fastest that it’s ever been, if not faster. But as players age, the one thing they can do is continue to work on processing information fast and make faster decisions to offset any gap that is created with losing a step. That hasn’t happened with him yet. So when you combine the fact that physically he’s still at a peak and now he’s making decisions faster, we have a very quick player out there.
– On that note, many Warriors fans on social media have observed that Steph looks a lot stronger compared to other years. How do you view that?
– (laughs) That certainly is true. That’s something you see that is common among a lot of players in the offseason. People try to find something to talk about it. But Stephen is certainly a lot stronger. Carl [Bergstrom] did a great job with him in making sure that he’s not only strong, but healthy. He’s continuing to get stronger. That’s always fun to watch fans talk about not only with Steph, but with other players. That’s always a fun talking point.
– What did that work look like in the weight room and anywhere else compared to other years?
– It’s very organized and extremely well planned. Carl and I work very closely together to make sure the load is being placed on his body appropriately from both a strength and conditioning standpoint as well as a skills standpoint. We’re placing the proper emphasis on where it needs to be. I would argue that our process and level of organization is as high as there is out there. There aren’t any accidents. Everything is done for purpose. He executes it with purpose. He executes it with a lot of discipline. You’ll see the results when he starts playing in a few weeks.
– What is your process and level of organization?
– It’s about listening to his body. He’s a great communicator with us. We can go into a week and have a certain plan that we want to execute. But we can only execute that plan if his body allows us to. On the other side, we can also have a plan that is maybe not challenging enough and his body is really reacting well. So we have to change the plan to be a little bit more challenging. It’s a constant communication. It’s a constant willingness to be flexible based on the day’s circumstances and the week’s circumstances. That is very important for all players in the NBA to have a team around them to have a plan that is planned out and organized, and also realize that the players’ feedback and feelings will help us make the adjustments. That way, we can make sure the levels of difficulty are appropriate for each player at that time.
– What do you expect that will do for him this season?
– It keeps him in that season mode. That’s basically what you’re talking about with load management during the season. I know people don’t like that word anymore. But when you’re talking about ‘player load’ during the season, it’s really about the communication that matters the most. We have all of this technology. That is great. We have players using force plays. We have all kinds of player fracking technology. That stuff is tremendous for giving the staff information. But it really comes down to how the player feels and what is their thought on where they are physically. Ultimately, that matters more than any feedback you’re getting from the technology. It is about, ‘What is their true feeling and perception of where they’re at?’
That’s what he has to do during the season. So we want him to continue do that during the offseason. We don’t really want him to get out of the habit of doing that because that’s one place where really good pros separate themselves from other pros. They are great communicators with how they’re feeling and what’s going on with their bodies. So we want him to be in that mode and keep him in that process even during the offseason.
– What do you expect the added strength will do for his game? As you know, Steph is not only a target on the scouting reports and with double teams. He’s dealing with a lot of physicality and calls that don’t always go his way.
– There’s a toughness that you have to have, certainly. He possesses that. When it comes to understanding the rigors and ins and outs of the 82-game season, I don’t know outside of LeBron James if there are any that knows better than Steph (laughs). I think Steph and LeBron probably have an understanding that is on a level a little bit different than everybody else because they constantly have been the target, not only game-to-game, but for the entire league for a long time. So they understand how to navigate that better a lot better than I do. It’s our job to provide him with the stimulus in the offseason to be prepared for the 82 games and the playoffs.
– With the chemistry that Jimmy and Steph established after the trade, how do you expect they will build off of that for a full season?
– It’s very organized and extremely well planned. Carl and I work very closely together to make sure the load is being placed on his body appropriately from both a strength and conditioning standpoint as well as a skills standpoint. We’re placing the proper emphasis on where it needs to be. I would argue that our process and level of organization is as high as there is out there. There aren’t any accidents. Everything is done for purpose. He executes it with purpose. He executes it with a lot of discipline. You’ll see the results when he starts playing in a few weeks.
– Given that, am I connecting the dots correctly that the emphasis on reading and reacting also partly has to do with Jimmy, since Steph is going to mix between playing on and off the ball?
– For sure. There is also a different element where Jimmy plays in spaces that other teammates may not have played in spaces. So it’s about being able to play off of a different type of spacing. That is going to be important for Steph. They got a little bit of that last year. They got a little bit of a feel for it. But it’s going to continue to get better as they play more games in the regular season. Steph will start to recognize where the opportunities are to play off of Jimmy and play in that mid-range area with his back to the basket a little bit. I think that is certainly something that can continue to get better.
– Steph always bets on himself for good reason. But what did Steph do to prepare for all the roster fluidity given that Jonathan Kuminga’s negotiations aren’t resolved and how that plays out will affect how the Warriors form out the rest of their roster?
– We try as hard as we can to focus on ourselves. We certainly keep the team dynamics in mind with what we’re doing. But the reality is we’re really focused on Stephen Curry day in and day out to make sure that we’re doing things that Stephen needs to do to be the best version of himself for 82 games and the playoffs. We’re very much in the mode of a player. Players play. The front office does its job. And coaches do their job. So when we’re preparing players, that’s all we can be worrying about. So we’re certainly aware of the situation. But it hasn’t been a constant talk of conversation. We speak at it here or there. But it’s not something that is discussed at length, that’s for sure.
– Steph is 37. But given that he’s still playing at a high level, what do you expect this season will be compared to his other seasons?
– I expect him to be Stephen Curry. I expect him to be not only the exact same guy, but a guy that is extremely driven to win at a high level and perform at a high level night after night for the fans. I said many years ago, there was some guy at ESPN or a stats company that came up with all of these stats that said ‘Stephen Curry is the oldest player to do this’ and ‘Stephen Curry is the oldest player to do that.’ I made the comment then that we’re going to keep that guy in a job for a long time because we’re not going to slow down anytime soon (laughs). I still think Steph is going to keep that guy pretty busy this year. There will still be more ‘Steph Curry is the first person at 37 to do this.’ I fully expect more of those.
– Speaking of which, Steph wasn’t ranked as an MVP candidate, but ESPN had him voted as….
– (Interrupts) Which is comical, to be honest. It’s comical to me.
– How so? What’s your view on that?
– Stephen Curry gives his team a chance to win not just night after night. Having Stephen Curry on your roster gives you a chance to win a championship every single day. How that guy is not considered an MVP candidate is amusing to me.
– On that note, even though he wasn’t ranked as an MVP candidate, in the same article various coaches, scouts and executives tabbed Steph as the “Best American player in the league.” One of the scouts said ‘he’s still the guy that scares me the most.’
– I’m curious. My retort to that is that was a poll taken among coaches, scouts and front office members, correct?
– Yes.
– Who were the people that comprised the list of MVP candidates?
– The same scouts, coaches and execs. It was the same poll, but it had different categories.
– I got you. That’s interesting. Interesting.
– Yeah. So on one hand, the coaches, executives and scouts aren’t listing Steph as an MVP candidate. But they still view him as the ‘best American player.’
– I’ll say this. It’s always nice for Steph to have any sort of motivating factor that he can have in his career. So I would say I personally appreciate them omitting him from that list (laughs).
– Understood. Does he still view 50-40-90 as a goal?
– Oh yeah. I think for anybody that shoots the basketball at a high level, that’s something you’re always going for because that’s a rarified accomplishment anytime that can happen. That’s something he’s always pursuing.
– Obviously, that’s very hard to get, but he’s been very, very close. Steph got it in 2015-16, but there have been so many seasons that he came close and fell short. What do you think will the key to for him to get it again?
– The obvious answer for him is to make more shots. Shot selection is very important toward accomplishing that, and having teammates that can take some shots and take a little bit of the shot selection pressure away from him. They certainly have that. So it’s the combination of making the shots that are available to you and taking the right shots. That’s the key to doing that. Getting to the free-throw line as much as he possibly can is also big, too. He’s the greatest shooter that has ever lived, so that’s all that needs to be said.
– Steph would always take the shot at the end of the quarter because he believes in himself. So what does he think about the NBA ruling that shots won’t affect the shooting percentages anymore?
– He’s very excited about the rule change (laughs). I’m excited about it. I don’t think Steph would ever not take it for any single reason. But I think it’s good for the sport and the game. It’s exciting. While Steph never had the fear of taking that shot, maybe some other guys did. It adds a little bit of excitement to the game for the fans at the end of each quarter. I’m in favor of it. I like it. I love the rule change. It’s great for the fans.
– At the same time, Steph never worried about the percentages. He always worried about making the shot. What was his mindset about that?
– It’s very organized and extremely well planned. Carl and I work very closely together to make sure the load is being placed on his body appropriately from both a strength and conditioning standpoint as well as a skills standpoint. We’re placing the proper emphasis on where it needs to be. I would argue that our process and level of organization is as high as there is out there. There aren’t any accidents. Everything is done for purpose. He executes it with purpose. He executes it with a lot of discipline. You’ll see the results when he starts playing in a few weeks.
– Did you read any of his “Shot Ready” book?
– I’ve had a standing policy with the books and documentaries. Everybody likes to ask me, ‘Have you read it? Have you looked at it?’ I’m saving all of that stuff for when he retires, to be honest. I’m very much a person that adopted the philosophy that I want to stay exactly where my feet are and I want to make sure that I’m as present in this process as I can be. Those are things that I’m just saving for the end. When we all get a chance to look back and appreciate exactly how great he is and was, I’ll do all of that when the time is proper. I’m super proud of him that he’s got the book, the movies, and the TV shows. But I personally am saving all of that stuff for the end.
– What were the highlights of Steph’s Under Armour camp this summer?
– He enjoys it. He’s such a great teacher. He enjoys teaching the game, and he enjoys going out and competing with those players. It’s a very, very high-level camp. We had a countless number of lottery picks and NBA guys that have come through it. We only bring in 16 boys and 16 girls a year. So it’s a very exclusive group that gets to come and participate. Every time we bring those players in, just to see him in that realm where he becomes a coach and a teacher, it’s incredible because he has such a unique and effective way of communicating with the players all the concepts that he’s trying to help them learn.
They all should walk out of there with a better understanding of how to be a great teammate and a better understanding of what it takes to be a teammate at the professional level and be an asset to an organization, no matter how many minutes you’re playing in a game. And it’s about how to be a great person.
He had one of the greatest quotes to these kids that I have ever heard. When we were bringing in a group of youth from the Oakland area that had some challenges and life, they came in to have a clinic with the players that we had at camp. The last line that Stephen told our players before they went to work with the kids, ‘I want you to remember that people will forget what you say to them. But they will never forget how you make them feel.’ I thought that was one of the most impactful quotes I ever heard anyone give to a young person and a young basketball player that is potentially in a position to really make an impact on peoples’ lives. It’s stuff like that to me that separates him from a lot of people. It’s how great a person he is and how much he cares about the impact he makes on people he comes into contact with. So those camps are a really unique opportunity to see him in that element and to get a better understanding of who he is as a person.
– Were you part of camp down in San Diego this past week?
– I wasn’t there, but the players were hanging out and watching. Steph and I shot a little bit. That was really about players going to dinner, having coffee and reconnecting. They were sitting around the pool and working out. We got up some shots. But it was more about, ‘It’s going to be a long season. Let’s hang out for a couple of days.’ But it was cool to see. It’s a fun group of guys, for sure.