Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry will miss the next 10 days due to ongoing patellofemoral pain syndrome and a bone bruise in his right knee dating back to Jan. 30, the team announced Wednesday afternoon.
The team said Curry "has been working out individually on the court in recent days", with the aim of intensifying his workouts as he looks to return to the court, which is a slight improvement from the previous injury update. ESPN was first to report Curry's latest injury update.
Despite this, Curry has missed 15 consecutive games due to his knee soreness, hurting the Warriors' playoff chances.
In that span, the Warriors have gone 5-10, falling below .500 for the first time since December. As a result, the Dubs have dropped from eighth to ninth in the West, with the Los Angeles Clippers passing them in the play-in area of the standings.
This puts Golden State in the bottom bracket of the play-in tournament, and if the season ended today, the Warriors would need to win two straight games to secure a playoff spot against the West's 1-seed.
As far as Curry is concerned, it has been a tough recovery process.
Before this latest update on Wednesday, Curry had not been able to get much work on the court, as the healing process of his knee was "unpredictable" in his own words.
"I'm feeling better. It's weird. How it's going to heal is unpredictable," Curry said on the ESPN broadcast just before the last injury update 10 days ago.
"Progressing every day since All-Star weekend; that's all I can ask for, and hopefully I'll be back out there soon... I haven't been on the court yet, but just trying to stay in shape and strengthen everything else around my body, knowing that at this level, once you get back, it's an absolute sprint to the playoffs."
Will Steph Curry return this season?
With the way Golden State's season has gone, there has been speculation as to whether or not the Warriors will shut down Curry for the remainder of the season.
Although the Warriors are doomed for the play-in tournament and first-round series, one would think it would be best for Golden State to preserve their 37-year-old franchise star for next season. This is especially true given the tempting prospect of getting caught in the NBA Draft Lottery.
But the Warriors are adamant that they don't plan on tanking this season, and ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel reports that both the Dubs and Curry intend to return before the end of the regular season.
Draymond Green has also made it clear that he has full confidence in Curry's return this season.
"Finally my confidence level is high," Green said after the upset win over the Houston Rockets, via ESPN. "Because I know he's going to put in all the work and do everything he can to come back. If his body allows him to come back, I know, he'll come back. He doesn't want to just turn it off."
Meanwhile, the Warriors' mentality is that they will just have to walk on water until Curry returns.
Their 5-10 record in his absence has left the water a bit high above their heads. Not to mention consecutive losses to tanking teams in the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls sting. But with Kristaps Porzingis back and encouraging play from youngsters like Gui Santos and Moses Moody, the Warriors are confident they can hold down the fort until he returns.
“For us, just keep swimming,” Green continued. "Nobody expects us to win 10 games, but you just have to hang in there. You can't let things get too far, and that's what we're trying to do."
