Shaun Livingston embracing role as Stephen Curry's backup
WASHINGTON — As the third quarter wound down, Shaun Livingston looked on from the bench at a scenario that seemed all too familiar, Stephen Curry knocked down another three-pointer — his 10th of the night.
Curry had the hot hand, which more often than not means extra time on the bench for Livingston, a 10-year NBA veteran and backup to the reigning NBA MVP.
But while Curry is in the midst of one of the most dominant single seasons in NBA history, Livingston's role is far from lost.
Instead of becoming green while being forced to play the second fiddle in a lineup, wishing that it was he who made headlines game after game instead of his depth chart superior, Livingston — a starter in 30.4% of games played over the course of his career — stresses the importance of one thing ... winning.
"Being with a winning team, that's the main thing," Livingston told Paste BN Sports. "Some guys go for individual accolades, but I realized early that when you win, everybody gets the credit."
There's plenty of credit to go around at the Golden State, as the Warriors have a 113-19 regular season record since the start of the 2014-15 season.
Livingston, now in his second season with the Warriors — the ninth team of his career — has embraced his backup role in its entirety. His numbers (6.5 points, 2.9 assists, 1.8 rebounds, and 54.1% shooting) won't jump out at you, but the 6-7, 190 pound true point guard provides the defending NBA champions with a high basketball IQ, elite post-up ability, and versatile defensive skills during those decisive moments that their superstar point guard isn't on the floor.
As a contrast to the 6-3, 190 pound sharpshooting Curry, the switch between the two is like night and day — and it works.
"It's a blessing [playing with Curry]," Livingston said. "Obviously, he covers up a lot of holes that we may have. As a team that's built around him, I think that we work well together. There's a good mesh, good continuity, and good chemistry."
As Livingston suggests, and as the Warriors' continued success indicates, the continuity and chemistry that the defending champs exhibit runs well beyond Curry and the starting lineup, as they have proven to be of elite status regardless of what lineup is deployed.
Whether it's Andre Iguodala's defensive athleticism, Brandon Rush's and Leandro Barbosa's perimeter shooting prowess, or Marreese Speights' pick and pop ability — the franchise that's overflowing with All-Star starters still manages to reap the benefits of their productive veteran bench players, game after game, on the road to the top of the NBA's record books.
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