Seth Curry: Confidence level as high as it’s ever been

Seth Curry and Andre Drummond have proven they weren’t just add-ons in the James Harden-for-Ben Simmons trade deadline blockbuster. They are, after all, the fourth best 3-point shooter by percentage (Curry) and the best rebounder by percentage (Drummond) all-time.

So when one of them, Curry, says his confidence now is the highest it’s ever been, that’s kind of newsy. That’s what the 31-year-old told Steve Serby of the Post this week in an far-reaching interview that also revealed that Curry is a Yankee fan and where he sees himself on the Curry family tree.

“It’s high as it’s ever been,” he told Serby. “I think I’m getting better every year still. I’ve been in every situation kind of in the league as far as being a No. 1 option for a month on teams, being a role guy sitting around different superstars. I feel like I’ve adapted to a lot of situations, and I don’t think it’s anything I see that I can’t succeed in.”

In his eight games with Brooklyn, Curry is averaging 16.6 points and 3.9 assists with shooting splits of 47/44/82. That 16.6 average would be his best over the course of his nine-season career. It’s in line with how he sees himself, “as a silent assassin, people like to describe me as. A light-hearted, laid-back demeanor, but really competitive.”

Serby also got Curry’s impressions of his two new teammates, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, as well as his once and future teammate, Ben Simmons, and Steve Nash.

On Durant...

He really hones in on his skill-set. He doesn’t just rely on his athleticism, his size, natural-given talent to be the player he is. Even though he has all that, he still works at his skills and wants to be the most skilled person in the gym. So that separates him.

On Irving and possibility of him playing full-time...

His belief in his skills and just willing to try anything on the court is fun to watch...

I mean everything. Take the pressure off everybody that’s in the rotation right now. That’s pretty much a walking 27, 28 points a game. Most nights he’ll take the No. 1 defender off of me and put it on him, which makes everybody else’s job easier.

On Simmons...

He plays the game and got stuff that nobody else in the league has in his size, athleticism, his passing ability. Every night he’s gonna play hard, but he leaves it all on the floor no matter what. If nothing, we’re gonna be an entertaining basketball team.

On Nash...

I’m trying to pick his brain as much as possible. Another guy who kind of influenced the way me and my brother play the game. Definitely a basketball genius, a basketball savant offensively.

As for himself, Curry says he’s a “basketball junkie. I’ll watch basketball every night, all the games,” particularly his brother Steph’s games, recalling how he felt when Durant went down in Game 5 of the 2019 Finals.

I watched every Warriors game I could since my brother got in the league, so I was definitely watching it. Not a good day.

Then, there’s the comparisons with Steph.

Yeah, I’m a little more feisty. I can talk a little junk back, kind of gets me going at times. I enjoy playing against certain guys that talk junk to me, like Draymond Green and Patrick Beverley. The guys that talk a little bit, I’ll talk back to ’em. … Steph won’t say a word, he just plays.

He also tells Serby how Steph helps him when he’s faced difficulties.

Being in my corner just giving me confidence, letting me know just to stick with it. Him and my dad [Dell] just being honest with me, telling me they think I’m good enough to eventually play in the league if I get an opportunity. Another one of the things that kept me going. That gave me the extra confidence I needed to keep going and wait for my opportunity.

Maybe the biggest surprise in the interview is how big a Yankee fan he is. None of his family, father Dell, brother Steph or brother-in-law Damion Lee, have ever played in New York, but Seth Curry knows his pinstripes.

How’d it start?

Simply because my brother [Stephen] was a Red Sox fan. I remember when we were young, he was a Red Sox fan for whatever reason. So I’m like, “I’m gonna be a Yankee fan just to go against him.”

Derek Jeter is his favorite Yankee

The flashes, the way he played the game. Obviously the face of the Yankees. I think my earliest memory of watching baseball was that catch he made running into the third base stands.

And his happiest moment was when his No. 2 Yankee, Alex Rodriguez, won it all in 2009.

When they won the [2009] World Series when [Alex Rodriguez] was on the team. I wanted A-Rod to get a championship real bad. And he played well.

He was my No. 2 guy behind Jeter. I know he had his struggles in the playoffs and he was kind of getting killed a little bit in the media for not showing up in the playoffs, and he kind of got over a hump.

Is he confident what his new team can win it all. He knows the challenge will be great, but he thinks his team is up for it.

We put ourself in a tough situation with the play-in game, but we still like our chances against anybody in the league.

Our sense of urgency is trying to fit together and figure out the way we’re gonna play when we do get in that play-in game and then hopefully into the playoffs.

There’s a lot more there, as there is any Serby interview, including his days at Duke with Coach K. Enjoy.

• Nets’ Seth Curry talks Mike Krzyzewski memories, Jeter fandom, brother Stephen - Steve Serby - New York Post