Getty Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors shoots against Marcus Morris Sr. #8 of the Los Angeles Clippers in the first half during an NBA basketball game at Chase Center on March 08, 2022 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Golden State Warriors Steph Curry missed the final 18 games of the regular season after he suffered a sprained ligament and bone bruise in his left foot. During Curry’s rehab, the team was cautiously optimistic about his return and held out hope he would return before the playoffs.
As the playoffs started, Curry returned and the team opted to gradually bring him along. Curry came off the bench as a sixth man in the first four games against the Denver Nuggets.
In five games since his return from his foot injury, Curry has averaged 28 points on 50% shooting, including 40.4% from three. The shooting is a drastic improvement from his regular season numbers where he averaged 25.5 points on 43.7% shooting, and 38% from three.
“It seems like every time [Steph] is out for a little bit, he comes back incredibly strong and goes on a tear,” head coach Steve Kerr says after practice on April 29. “In hindsight, that could’ve been a blessing in disguise as we headed into the playoffs.”
“It seems like every time [Steph] is out for a little bit, he comes back incredibly strong and goes on a tear. In hindsight, that could’ve been a blessing in disguise as we headed into the playoffs”
This season was only the second time in his career that Curry has failed to shoot over 40% from the perimeter. He struggled a bit while he was approaching the all-time three-point mark early in the season, and that seemed to have carried over to the rest of the regular season.
Luckily, Curry seems to have turned a corner with his shooting since his return. Although it is only a five-game sample size against one team, Curry has a track record of performing more efficiently once he gets back from injury.
Kerr mentions the instance last season, when Curry fell on metal stairs in Houston and messed up his tailbone. He ended up missing two weeks, but returned and as Kerr says it, “[he] had possibly the greatest shooting month in the history of the NBA”.
Curry returned on March 29, 2021, and posted an insane efficiency percentage of 51.8% and 46.6% from three in April. He averaged 37.3 points as well, and was the main factor the Warriors managed to stay afloat for their playoff chances last season.
Steph Curry Free Throw Woes in First Round
Amid the stellar shooting that Curry has returned to, his bread and butter—free throws—seemed to have faltered. Curry finished 29-of-39 from the charity stripe in the first round against the Denver Nuggets.
A career 90.8% free throw shooter, he has never shoot it this poorly of any stretch of time in his storied career.
“Missed free throws, I hate it,” Curry said to reporters after Game 4 on April 24. “It’s the worst feeling in the world because it’s what I do really well.”
Expect Curry to get back on track with his freebies sooner rather than later. It’s hard to say what was bothering Curry mentally to miss so many, but it just does not make sense for him to shoot under 90%, knowing that he is the best shooter of all-time.
Insane Warriors Playoff Record Since 2015
We all know how dominant the Warriors’ teams were from 2015-19, but here is an interesting number to solidify just how crazy it was.
Since 2015, the Dubs have won 19 of 21 playoff series. The only two losses come in the Finals, when they blew the 3-1 lead to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, and then lost in six games to the Toronto Raptors in 2019.
That means since 2015, once the Warriors make the playoffs, they have been defaulted to end up in the Finals every time. Just an insane, crazy stat.