As the Golden State Warriors fight to keep their season alive, the situation with Stephen Curry grows more precarious by the day.
Following multiple setbacks already, the Warriors announced another delay for his return. This time, while he’s been ruled out for the next two games, they also revealed some progress in the form of intense on-court workouts.
“Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, who has missed the last 20 games due to patella-femoral pain syndrome/bone bruising in his right knee, was re-evaluated today,” wrote the Warriors in a statement. “The re-evaluation indicated that Curry continues to make good progress. He has intensified his individual on-court workouts and, as the next steps, he will be incorporated into live action and team practices in the coming days. He will be re-evaluated again after the team returns home next week.”
Moses Moody is also currently in recovery after suffering from a right wrist sprain. While he’s not quite ready to make a comeback, he is making steady progress in his quest to return. The young shooting guard, who hasn’t played since March 2nd, is averaging 11.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game on 44.1% shooting and 40.2% shooting from three.
“Golden State Warriors guard Moses Moody, who has missed the last nine (9) games after suffering a sprained right wrist against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 2, was re-evaluated today,” the Warriors added. “The re-evaluation indicated that Moody is making good progress. He has intensified his on-court work (shooting drills, etc.) and will be incorporated into live action in the coming days. He will be re-evaluated again on Tuesday.”
Overall, both players are trending in a positive direction, but timing is going to be key, given there are only a few weeks left to play this season. While the Warriors are destined for a spot in the play-in, they can still push up to 8th in the standings, which would ensure they have at least two chances to survive the tournament.
Regardless of where they finish, any hope of a playoff run is tied to Steph Curry’s health. With him, it all began with leg pain in late January that was diagnosed as “runner’s knee.” The initial timeline for his return was only a few weeks, but it’s been stretched out to nearly two months as he continues to feel lingering discomfort in the area.
Knee injuries are notoriously tricky, and it can be hard to determine an exact recovery timeline. In Steph’s case, it’s even more complicated given his age (38) and mileage as a 16-year veteran with multiple championships.
Before going down, Curry was on track for another All-NBA season with averages of 27.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game on 46.8% shooting and 39.1% shooting from three. After Jimmy Butler went down, he was single-handedly keeping the Warriors afloat, rising in MVP discussions in the process.
At this point, the important thing for Steph isn’t adding to his already stacked personal trophy case. Rather, it’s putting the Warriors in a position to win what really matters: the NBA Finals. While he hasn’t yet been ruled out for the season, that possibility could become reality if they don’t find a way to pull out some wins to close out the month.
