As the Golden State Warriors fight to climb into the top six in the West, their star point guard, Stephen Curry, is in a fight of his own to get back on the court and help his team. As much as he wants to return, however, the latest update out of San Francisco suggests that the two-time MVP is going to need more time than initially expected to make a full recovery.
“Golden State’s Stephen Curry will miss another 10 days with his ailing knee, stretching his absence to five more games and a total of 20 consecutive,” reported ESPN’s Shams Charania on X. “Curry has started on-court work and is aiming to intensify his workouts.”
Curry, 37, hasn’t played since January 30th, in a 131-124 loss to the Pistons. He’s already missed 15 consecutive games for the Warriors, and he’s been ruled out for a total of 20. He’s suffering from “runner’s knee,” a condition known to involve swelling and pain around the kneecap.
While Steph has made some progress in recent days, including starting on-court work, the recovery hasn’t exactly been stable. According to ESPN’s Anthony Slater, the process has been unpredictable.
“Curry has described this right knee issue as ‘unpredictable,’ already experiencing setbacks since the issue initially popped up during an individual workout in Minneapolis on Jan. 24,” wrote Slater. “He was initially hopeful to return right after the All-Star break, but throttled his court work down after it didn’t respond as hoped.”
Stephen Curry was having another All-Star caliber season before going down. In 39 games, he averaged 27.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game on 46.8% shooting from the field and 39.1% shooting from three. Besides being ineligible for NBA awards, Curry is also facing the prospect of another lost season.
At ninth in the West (32-33), the Warriors are already facing a tough fight in the play-in, and the timing of Curry’s absence could determine how far they go. Currently, he’s on track to return by late March, and by then it may already be too late to squeak into the top six.
Ultimately, only time will tell how quickly Curry is able to return, or if he even returns at all. But, at 37 years old, the Warriors are not going to rush him back to the court. They will wait until he’s fully ready, even if it means risking some additional losses. In the meantime, they’ll be looking to Draymond Green, Brandin Podziemski, and Kristaps Porzingis to help carry the load.
