The Warriors will have to get creative during the next few weeks as Steph Curry will be rehabbing from a shoulder injury he suffered Wednesday against the Indiana Pacers.
An MRI on Thursday confirmed that Curry experienced a left shoulder subluxation, with the Warriors saying they will have an update on his return timeline in the “coming days.”
About an hour after the Warriors confirmed the news, coach Steve Kerr joined 95.7 The Game’s “Damon & Ratto” Thursday afternoon to chat about Curry’s injury and how the Warriors can survive his absence. Most of all, Kerr is happy that Curry avoided a serious injury and won’t need surgery.
“I have no idea how long he’ll be out,” Kerr told hosts Damon Bruce and Ray Ratto. "I’m just relieved that it was not more serious and that he will be back. That was good news today.”
Curry dropped 38 points in 30 minutes before exiting Wednesday, as the Warriors lost 125-119 and fell to 2-13 on the road. Overall, Golden State is just 14-15 with the Western Conference No. 10 seed, despite a great start to the season from Steph. Curry is averaging 30 points, 6.8 assists, 6.6 rebounds per game and leads the NBA with 131 made 3-pointers this season.
Kerr said the Warriors just need to hold down the fort til Curry can comeback.
“It’s not gonna be easy,” Kerr said. “It’s been a rough go anyways, even with Steph, especially on the road. The good news is, with the news today that Steph will be back with a lot of season left. It doesn’t feel like anybody’s running away with the West. As long as we can stay within striking range, we feel good about our team when we’re healthy. We just gotta navigate the path and go from there.”
The Warriors are also fortunate that Curry injured his non-shooting shoulder, as Kerr believes that will allow him to keep his shot sharp while his left shoulder heals. Expect players like Ty Jerome to have an increased role while Curry is gone, along with others like Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga.
Kerr admitted that Golden State’s roster is still working itself out.
“We have to better and we will. It’s just taking time,” Kerr said. “We’ve got young players who are doing a great job – Moses Moody has played well the past couple weeks. Kuminga’s been much better and settling into a good role. Our new guys are now finding themselves – Donte (DiVincenzo) has been really good, JaMychal (Green) had an excellent game last night. We’re finding roles for guys, but it’s not coming together. It still has to come together. That’s gonna take some more time, especially with Steph out.”
Twenty-nine games deep into an 82-game season, Kerr said there’s not a super long leash for players to figure it out.
“You can’t afford to give certain combinations a long rope,” Kerr said. “You have to get results right away, so you’re much more likely to make quicker decisions.”
The Warriors also called up center James Wiseman and rookie Ryan Rollins, while fellow rookie Patrick Baldwin Jr. is already with Golden State. The youngsters could play bigger roles in the next few weeks as well.
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