Stephen Curry appears happy to have basketball back.
The Golden State Warriors superstar celebrated the beginning of the preseason on Instagram following Golden State’s 104-101 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in Hawaii.
“Basketball is back!” Curry wrote on October 5 alongside a series of photos from the preseason opener.
It was a simple message from Curry, but the game represented something considerably bigger for Golden State.
The Warriors used their first preseason contest to begin unveiling the revamped offensive approach head coach Steve Kerr has been installing during training camp.
And while the results were mixed, Curry looked plenty comfortable in his first game action.
Stephen Curry Makes Quick Impact in Warriors Return
Curry needed only 12 minutes to score 10 points against Los Angeles, shooting 3-of-4 from the field and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. He also finished with two rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Golden State intentionally kept Curry, Draymond Green and Al Horford on limited workloads, with the veterans sitting out the second half.
That makes Curry’s efficiency one of the more encouraging developments from an otherwise uneven preseason opener.
The Warriors shot just 33% during the first half and committed 10 turnovers as they experimented with a new five-out offensive structure designed to improve spacing.
One sequence showed exactly what Kerr is trying to unlock.
Golden State used Horford as the ball handler in an inverted pick-and-roll with Curry screening before popping outside for a 3-pointer, according to Yahoo Sports. It was an early glimpse of how the Warriors can use their increased size and versatility without taking away Curry’s movement.
Curry indicated afterward that the transition remains a work in progress.
“It doesn’t feel much different than every training camp, where you’re trying new things,” Curry said, according to the San Francisco Standard.
He added that Golden State has clarity about what it wants offensively but needs more repetitions before everything becomes natural.
Warriors Putting More Around Curry
The new offense is particularly significant considering how much Golden State may need from Curry early in the season.
Jimmy Butler is still rehabilitating the torn ACL he suffered in January and has only progressed to light on-court work. Kristaps Porzingis has also been sidelined by a health issue without a firm timetable for his return.
That leaves Golden State attempting to squeeze more offense out of a group featuring Curry, Green, Horford and several younger players.
One of the biggest is rookie Yaxel Lendeborg.
The No. 11 pick grabbed nine rebounds in his preseason debut but scored only four points on 1-of-6 shooting. Both Kerr and Curry publicly encouraged him to become more aggressive.
“We don’t want anything passive,” Curry said when discussing Lendeborg’s offensive approach after the game.
Golden State is also exploring using Lendeborg to initiate offense when Curry is off the floor, an unusually significant responsibility for a rookie.
Brandon Williams provided another encouraging development, scoring 11 points in roughly 15 minutes while repeatedly attacking the paint. His downhill speed could give the Warriors a dimension they have lacked in recent seasons.
Curry Enters New Season Healthy After Knee Problems
Perhaps the most important part of Curry being able to declare that basketball is back is that he enters the season healthy.
The 38-year-old appeared in only 43 games last season because of a troublesome right knee, but Curry said before training camp that the knee was feeling good and that he had no restrictions entering the new season.
Golden State nevertheless appears determined to manage his workload carefully.
The preseason opener offered a perfect example: Curry played only 12 minutes but still led the Warriors’ starting lineup with 10 points.
The Warriors will now return home to face the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center on October 6 before playing at Portland the following night.
For Curry, though, the first checkpoint has already arrived.
Basketball is officially back, and Golden State is trying to make sure the team around him looks different this time.
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