The Golden State Warriors are going nowhere this season and have a legitimate chance to earn the top overall pick in next year’s NBA Draft, but there has still been no indication that they plan to shut down Stephen Curry for the remainder of the season.
Curry has been recovering from a hand injury he suffered at the end of October, and Warriors coach Steve Kerr previously said that the point guard has a good chance to return sometime in March. According to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic, the target date is March 1 when Golden State hosts the Washington Wizards.
If Curry were dealing with something like a knee or soft tissue injury, you could argue the Warriors would be better off shutting him down and not risking anything. However, there is really no risk of him re-injuring the hand he fractured once it is 100 percent healed. The only reason for the Warriors to sit Curry would be if they want to go into full tank mode, and that would likely irritate the two-time NBA MVP since he is itching to get back on the court.
Thompson notes that Golden State may also want Curry to play this season so he can build chemistry with fellow guard D’Angelo Russell. Russell’s name has been mentioned in trade talks, but the Warriors supposedly want to hang onto him.
Curry has had two surgeries since he fell and broke his hand on Oct. 30. The Warriors are 10-34 and have the worst record in the NBA.
