Ellis, Curry are the same but different

Gus Ruelas / Associated Press
Stephen Curry relies on his jump shot to create
opportunities for others.

Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry are both small, scoring point guards who will play together as matchups dictate, according to coach Don Nelson. While it seems that they may be the same player offensively, the two are actually quite different.

When Ellis had the ball and was running the offense in Saturday's 104-101 win over the Suns, he initiated action from the top of the key while Curry spent most of his time in the corners, looking to come off screens to get open looks. Point guard Ellis likes to create off the dribble, driving to the basket, looking to either finish at the rim or pass out to an open shooter. Point guard Curry, meanwhile, stays more on the perimeter, draws defenses out to the 3-point line because of his reputation as a deadly shooter, then looks to get teammates the ball in optimum scoring positions.

When comparing the two, it's easy to look at the assist column of the boxscore and make a judgment as to who was the better playmaker. On Saturday, Curry had seven assists in 37 minutes and Ellis had five in 24 minutes. But looking beyond the straight numbers tells an interesting story.

Ellis' five assists Saturday came one five jump shots, including a Kelenna Azubuike 3-pointer. On Friday, when Ellis had eight assists, two came on 3-pointers and three others were on mid-range shots. Because Ellis likes to drive and dish, his assist numbers will often depend on how well his teammates are shooting. He may do everything right, but if Stephen Jackson, who was suspended for Saturday's game, Anthony Morrow, Azubuike and even Curry aren't hitting shots, he won't be rewarded statistically.

Curry, meanwhile, may be shooting just 32.5 percent from the floor (14-of-43) in the preseason, but he's known as a perimeter marksman and will get defenders rushing at him to prevent open looks. If help defenders come off other perimeter shooters, Curry tends to make the extra pass to set up open shots, which go down much more frequently when there's no defender in sight. If the help comes from post defenders, Curry can find his big men down low for easy baskets. On Saturday, four of his seven assists were on layups or dunks -- the other three were on Morrow 3-pointers. On Friday, his eight assists broke down to three on layups or dunks, three on short-range jumpers and two on 3-pointers.

So while the two play a similar position -- scoring point guard -- they play quite differently and it's easy to understand why Nelson wants them on the floor together. Just be careful not to the judge who is evolving into the better point guard by assist stats alone -- it's not all in their control.