Getty/Jed Jacobsohn Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors speaks to reporters before the game against the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Center.
As we inch closer to the playoffs starting April 16, Golden State Warrior fans and media members alike have been clamoring for updates to Steph Curry’s status.
Head coach Steve Kerr gave an update after April 10’s final regular season game on Curry. He said that they were all still taking it day-to-day and going to see how the week went, and it would probably be a game time decision on his status for Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets.
On April 12, the team provided an official update to Curry’s injury. The update pretty much said what Kerr had said previously on Curry, but added specifics as to the type of on-court activities the MVP engaged in last week. Additionally, a bone bruise was also shown in the press release, something that was not mentioned previously.
Stephen Curry injury update:
As Dr. Nirav Pandya, M.D. tweets, this could explain why the team has been taking a more cautious approach with handling Curry’s rehab.
Many could chalk this up as a non-update, but it did also provide some new updates in regards to Curry expecting to return to full team practices later this week.
Curry was seen on the court shooting in street clothes prior to April 9’s game tipoff. Kerr had previously stated that Curry and Warriors Director of Sports Medicine Rick Celebrini were working on getting his ability to cut back, so the fact he is planning to return to full practice later this week, probably means he is progressing well on that end.
Curry’s current timeline has been progressing at the standard pace for a sprained ligament and bone bruise to one’s foot. The only problem is the Dubs are running out of time in regards to getting Curry back on the court in a timely manner.
Warriors Have Historically Been More Cautious with Curry in Early Rounds
With the playoffs just days away, it would not be surprising if Curry misses the first part of the series. Over the years, the Dubs have been generally cautious when bringing back Curry back during the playoffs as observed by The Athletic’s Tim Kawakami.
We know, though, that the Warriors have traditionally been quite conservative with Curry injury timetables in the early rounds, and a Sunday Game 1 would’ve given Curry another precious day to get ready for his return.
The argument could be made those prior playoff teams were simply more dominant, so they could afford to rest Curry for a bit longer, and this season’s team is not on par with those, but the Nuggets also are missing several key pieces (Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr), so it will be interesting to see what the team decides to do.
Steve Kerr Has the Utmost Confidence in Jordan Poole
With Curry’s status uncertain, the focus will turn to Poole to see if he can pick up the slack for the best shooter of all-time. In his third season, Poole has taken his game to the next level, and he is expected to continue that in his first postseason.
After April 12’s practice, Kerr spoke with reporters and confidently said Poole will be counted on to be a huge contributor.
“There’s no uncertainty, Jordan’s going to play. He’s been one of our best players. He can play with Steph, he can play when Steph on the bench. He’s done all of that this year and done a great job with it.”
Poole will be expected to take on Curry’s starting role at point guard if Curry is unavailable. If Curry does play, Poole will probably start the game as a sixth man, but expect him to close out games on the floor, especially if Draymond Green is at the five.