The prevailing notion is that Stephen Curry’s ankles are made of brie, and that might be true. But the larger problem might be in how Curry steps and lands. As detailed by GSoM, repeated injuries can alter proprioception, the body’s sense of itself.
In the aftermath of these ankle sprains, Curry could be cursed to more often step in such a way as to cause future ankle sprains. After Stephen Curry injured his ankle on top of Ed Davis’ planted foot, I asked Jay M. Dicharry, director of the SPEED Performance Clinic and the Motion Analysis Lab Coordinator at the University of Virginia, to review the video and tell me what he saw.
Dicharry established that Stephen Curry contacts the ground farther in front of his body than most on the play. When the foot is that far in front, controlling it puts more stress on the joint. Jay M. goes on to say:
“In summary, looking at the strides up to his actual sprain, I do see some issues: namely that people with chronic sprains tend to land more rolled out right when they contact (again, more inverted) – not the best strategy since this is exactly how you sprain your ankle.”
After noting that this indicated “poor position sense of the joint,” Dicharry prescribed, “This can be improved with training on balance and forefoot strength.”
So, it’s possible that Stephen Curry’s proprioception is off and that it’s haunting that ankle of his. There is, however, another explanation for his Toronto sprain. Jay M. concludes: “But again, the biggest issue with this sprain appears to be stepping on someone else’s foot!” The major problem might just be that Festus Ezeli and Ed Davis are bad at foot placement.