Why Steph Curry’s Potential Return Could Come Too Little, Too Late for Warriors

Steph Curry hasn’t played since before the NBA All-Star break as he’s dealt with patellofemoral pain syndrome, commonly known as runner’s knee. He missed his 19th straight game Wednesday night as the Warriors traveled to Boston to take on the Celtics.

Golden State fell to Boston 120–99, which dropped the Warriors to 33–36 as they fell behind the Trail Blazers and into 10th place in the stacked Western Conference. The Warriors have dropped six of their last seven games, but on the bright side, Curry’s return could be on the near horizon.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Wednesday that there is “cautious optimism” that Curry will return at some point by the end of the month. Charania reported that Curry’s swelling in his right knee went down and the return will depend on continued conditioning work and building more comfort before he ultimately hits the court.

Golden State is 23–16 this season with its superstar guard on the floor and 10–20 without. Since Curry’s last appearance on Jan. 30, the Warriors are just 6–13 and haven’t been able to find any momentum in improving their standing in the West. There’s no question that Steve Kerr needs Curry on the floor to power the Warriors’ offense into the postseason, the question is whether the franchise can make something, anything, out of this up-and-down year.

It’s better late than never, but Curry’s return comes as the Warriors’ postseason outlook appears bleak

Steve Kerr and Steph Curr — The Warriors are ninth place in the Western Conference | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Warriors will play postseason basketball this season. The issue is, Golden State will almost certainly participate in the Western Conference play-in tournament for the third year in a row. Last year, that wasn’t so bad. The Warriors defeated the Grizzlies, earned the No. 7 seed and took down the Rockets in seven games in the following first-round series.

This year, however, is a much different story. The play-in, especially out West, means a first-round series with the Thunder or Spurs as the absolute best case scenario. Oklahoma City and San Antonio are the teams to beat and it feels less likely than ever that a team rising out of the play-in could topple one of the giants.

Once Curry returns, the Warriors have work ahead to improve their standing and potentially avoid the play-in, or at least make their path to a first-round series a bit easier. Although Golden State is the 10th seed after its loss to the Celtics Wednesday, the Warriors are just 1 1/2 games back of the No. 8 Clippers. Getting up to that spot would be critical as it would mean they would only have to win one play-in game to get in the playoff field. With a ninth- or 10th-place finish, Golden State would need to win two straight games to make the final eight.

A climb up to seven or even six, to avoid the play-in altogether, is a much taller task. The Warriors are currently six games back of the No. 7 seed Suns and nine games back of both the Nuggets and Rockets who are the final two teams out of the play-in field. A top-six finish isn’t a realistic outcome, especially with Curry still on the shelf. The good news, however, is that Golden State can’t feasibly slip out of the play-in. The Grizzlies are in 11th at 23–44, currently nine games back of the Warriors.

A laundry list of injuries has defined Golden State’s season

Injuries have hampered the Warriors’ season. Star forward Jimmy Butler suffered a season-ending torn ACL in late January. Butler’s injury gave general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. some time to adjust the organization’s approach at the Feb. 5 trade deadline. The Warriors were rumored suitors for Giannis Antetokounmpo, but the Bucks kept their superstar in Milwaukee through the deadline.

Golden State brought in Kristaps Porziņģis from the Hawks in exchanged for the disgruntled Jonathan Kuminga and sharpshooter Buddy Hield. It was a move the Warriors had to make: Dunleavy had to do something. Porziņģis has been largely unavailable himself, however. He’s been good while on the floor, including a 30-point night in a win over the lowly Wizards Monday. The question with Porziņģis is always his health, though, and he hasn’t been consistently available since his arrival which the Warriors desperately needed without Curry.

Even with the NBA’s all-time leader in three-pointers, the Warriors don’t have the personnel to compete with the Western Conference’s powerhouses. And before a potential series with the Thunder or Spurs, Golden State would have to fight its way out of the play-in tournament.

Curry’s return can’t come soon enough, but by the time he hits the floor, the flickering flame of what’s left of the Warriors’ season may be burnt out.

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