For the first time since he injured his left shoulder on Dec. 14, reporters got a glimpse of Steph Curry on a practice court during Friday’s session in San Francisco.
The Warriors superstar looked good while wearing a compression sleeve on his left arm, showing no ill-effects of the subluxation that has kept him out the past 10 games.
Golden State has said it is targeting next Friday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs as a return date. The contest will be played at the Alamodome, as the Spurs commemorate their 50 NBA seasons by trying to break the league’s all-time attendance record (62,046).
Following Friday's session, Curry told reporters that he fully practiced with the team for the first time since his injury, including 5-on-5 work.
“It felt good," Curry said, via C.J. Holmes of the San Francisco Chronicle. "I feel like I haven’t lost too much in terms of conditioning in terms of understanding what 5-on-5 is like.”
The Warriors are banged up but will be getting healthier in the coming days. Starting wing Andrew Wiggins is nearing a return after missing the past 15 games due to an adductor strain and two illnesses. Veteran forward Andre Iguodala announced that he will make his season debut against the Orlando Magic Saturday.
Jonathan Kuminga (sprained right foot), JaMychal Green (leg infection) and James Wiseman (ankle sprain) will be evaluated in the coming days.
Without Curry (and Wiggins), the Warriors have gone 6-4 the past 10 games and 5-1 on their latest homestand. The team is 3-16 on the road though and will look to perform better once Curry returns in time for the five-game road trip.
Curry is averaging 30 points, 6.8 assists, 6.6 rebounds and 5.0 3-pointers made per game this year. He might not have MVP credentials like Luka Doncic or Nikola Jokic this season, but Curry still remains among the league’s elite and is the catalyst of the Warriors, who have rounded into form the past few weeks.
