Who Is Stephen Curry?

In his short career, Stephen Curry has been compared to many players. People throw around the idea that he's the next Steve Nash so blithely that Google actually suggests Nash when you type in "stephen curry" followed by an S and a T; more sanely, he is often compared to his father. Around these parts, we've suggested a couple guys whose careers Curry's might resemble -- Mark Price (which would be great), Jason Terry (which would be okay). Will Curry end up resembling one of these guys, or someone else altogether, or nobody in particular? We just don't know. But what we do know is that young #30 is having himself a helluva January:

39.7 minutes, 19.7 points on 15.8 shots, 4.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.5 turnovers (1.83 A/TO), 1.9 steals, 3.7 fouls

For a moment, let's forget about all the hype and the daydreaming and the Nellie and Bobby Knight quotes. Let's just look at Stephen Curry's numbers in this, his breakout month. Which NBA player's numbers do they most resemble? Who is Stephen Curry playing like right now?

Probably this guy, who we'll call Player X:

37.1 minutes, 20.7 points on 16.5 shots, 4.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.9 turnovers (1.71 A/TO), 1.5 steals, 2.9 fouls

Curry's taken slightly better care of the ball and grabbed a few more steals; Player X, however, has done slightly more in slightly fewer minutes, and has committed fewer fouls. In most ways -- scoring efficiency, rebounding, passing frequency -- they're pretty damn close. So who is Player X?

Player X is Tyreke Evans. And while you can lament that, in his breakout month, Stephen Curry is playing like a guy who's universally considered to be something other than a point guard, you can also take comfort in the fact that Stephen Curry is playing like a guy who's universally considered to be pretty friggin' awesome. They go about their business very differently, but in January, Curry has bringing the same type of across-the-board production Evans has been bringing all season. If we don't have the Rookie of the Year, we've got a guy who's doing a pretty killer impression of him.

You're asking to get your heart broken if you see Steve Nash in any young player, let alone a guy who hasn't been one of the five best passers of his rookie class. Stephen Curry has not been passing like a young Steve Nash, or even a young Eric Maynor. But of late, he's been producing like a Tyreke Evans. And while I'd love it if the Warriors had an elite playmaker on their hands here, I'd sure as hell be happy with a 'Reke.