When Steve Kerr took over as the Warriors' head coach, he made it clear that he wanted more from Stephen Curry on the defensive end of the floor.
Curry responded with the best defensive season of his career, registering a 1.91 Defensive Real Plus-Minus (second best in the NBA among point guards), according to ESPN.
In 2013-14, Curry checked in at 23rd at -0.38.
Despite the improvement, Rockets point guard Ty Lawson recently called Curry out.
“Steph Curry needed someone to go back at him,” Lawson told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. “I thought Steph was just chillin’ on defense – and then going crazy on offense. He looked like he was just putting shots up and not working so much on the defensive end.
"He would just come down and hit three or four 3s. He can shoot when he’s got his legs under him.”
[POOLE: Never stop: Curry's relentless pursuit of greatness]
Lawson was referring to Curry's play against Houston in the Western Conference Finals.
The 2015 NBA MVP averaged 31.2 points and 5.6 assists per game against the Rockets, and shot over 49 percent from beyond the arc.
Curry and Lawson are very familiar with one another. Curry was the seventh pick in the 2009 draft, while Lawson was selected 18th overall.
In the opening round of the 2013 Western Conference Playoffs, Curry averaged 24.3 points and 9.3 assists as the Warriors upset Lawson's Nuggets in six games.
Lawson averaged 21.3 points and 8.0 assists in the series.
Lawson, who was arrested twice for DUI in the last year and finished a 30-day mandatory stay at a California rehabilitation facility in the summer, was traded to Houston in July.
He also felt Curry was able to coast defensively in the NBA Finals, as the Cavs were without Kyrie Irving for Games 2-6.
“I’m not saying, ‘Oh, I’m going to stop Steph,' but just make him work harder at the other end," Lawson told Wojnarowski. "I saw that in the Cavs series too. He wasn’t really working at the other end.”
Curry and the Warriors play at Houston on Oct. 30 and Dec. 31, and host the Rockets on Feb. 9.
