Stephen Curry to rejoin Warriors on Thursday
SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry will return Thursday against the Toronto Raptors after missing more than four months while recovering from a broken left hand.
The two-time MVP tweeted his excitement about rejoining Golden State after missing the team's previous 58 games.
Curry, 31, suffered the injury Oct. 30, when Phoenix Suns center Aron Baynes fell on Curry's hand after a collision under the basket. Curry underwent two surgeries to repair the fracture. The first was Nov. 1 in Los Angeles and the second was in December, when pins were removed from his hand.
Curry was hoping to return Sunday against the Washington Wizards, but that was pushed back because coach Steve Kerr and the Warriors' medical staff wanted him to get more 5-on-5 scrimmage time. On Monday, the six-time All-Star became the most accomplished player in NBA history to participate in a G League workout, as he practiced with the Santa Cruz Warriors and got in that scrimmage time.
"This has been a long, long haul for Steph," Kerr said on KGMZ-FM 95.7 The Game. "He loves playing so much. I'm happy for us, I'm happy for our fans, but I'm happiest for Steph because he's going to be back playing basketball and doing what he loves."
Curry has been in good spirits in recent weeks while working out with teammates. When speaking to reporters last week, he noted that he is dealing with some nerve damage post-injury, but the Warriors are not concerned that it will hamper him in any form while playing.
"It feels good," Curry said Feb. 22 after being cleared for contact. "It's been a long three-and-a-half-plus months, whatever it is. Just trying to understand all the different checkpoints I had to try and get through to get to this point and then what's left, but this is the fun part, I guess, where you get to actually play basketball and worry about what happens in between the lines and not so much the specific rehab parts. It's nice to get out there with my guys and play and keep moving forward."
The Warriors have missed Curry desperately; they enter Thursday's game with a league-worst 14-48 record. Aside from Curry, All-Star swingman Klay Thompson has been ruled out for the rest of the season as he continues to recover from a torn left ACL suffered in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals. Veterans Draymond Green and Kevon Looney have dealt with a variety of injuries of their own throughout the season.
Despite all the setbacks, Kerr is confident that both Curry and Thompson have gotten the mental breaks they needed after five consecutive trips to the Finals.
"I almost look at it -- look at LeBron [James] this year," Kerr told ESPN. "LeBron looks like a different guy than he did a year ago. And eight straight trips to the Finals -- just crazy. That's a feat that people probably don't talk about enough, to understand the emotional toll that takes. So for our guys, five straight trips to the Finals, just the feeling of being wiped out, Steph and Klay have both gotten to get away, not under ideal circumstances, neither one has been able really to enjoy themselves physically because of their injuries, but just to step away from the fight, I think has been important. And I think you'll see Steph rejuvenated upon his return next week. And then same thing with Klay when he returns next season."
Both Kerr and Curry had shrugged off the idea that the star guard should sit out the rest of the season because it might increase the Warriors' odds of landing the top pick in the 2020 NBA draft. The organization is hoping that the final month and a half of competition will allow Curry to shake off the rust in his game while learning how to play with newly acquired swingman Andrew Wiggins and a slew of younger players, such as center Marquese Chriss and rookies Eric Paschall and Jordan Poole.
When asked what he would tell people who say he shouldn't come back and play because he will mess up the Warriors' lottery odds, Curry offered a simple response after his first practice in late February.
"I'm gonna do what's right for me," he said. "And that's about it."
In the four games Curry did play this season, he averaged 20.3 points, 6.5 assists and 5.0 rebounds. He needs eight more 3-pointers to become the third player in NBA history to reach 2,500, joining Ray Allen and Reggie Miller.
