Stephen Curry Still Has to Be the Whole Operation
With Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler both sidelined until December, Curry's shooting gravity is again the only proven advantage this roster starts camp with.
Curry played his 17th season averaging 26.6 points and 4.7 assists at a 63.7 true shooting percentage, both numbers that lifted a Warriors offense that finished 19th in the league without him on the bench. Two of his top setup partners are sidelined into December, which leaves the opening stretch of camp running through him and Draymond Green almost by default.
A Backcourt of Two, for Now
Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler are both sidelined by knee injuries, with neither expected back before December 1. That removes two players who shared the floor with Curry in lineups that worked last season, leaving Curry and Green to anchor camp groups until the pair returns. Two five-man units from a year ago hint at how it can still function: a Curry-Butler-Green-Kuminga-Podziemski group outscored opponents by 16.9 points per 100 possessions over 65 minutes, and a Curry-Butler-Green-Moody-Richard group was plus-7.7 over 58 minutes. Neither sample is long, but both ran through Curry initiating.
The Efficiency Case
Across 43 games last season, Curry put up 26.6 points, 4.7 assists and 3.6 rebounds on 46.8 percent shooting, 39.3 percent on 11.3 three-point attempts a night and 92.3 percent from the line. His offensive rating of 117.6 outpaced the team's overall mark of 113.8, and his defensive rating of 114.8 sat close to the team's 114.4 despite carrying a 30.8 percent usage rate. A true shooting mark of 63.7 percent says the offense worked better with him on the floor, not that he dragged a 37-45 season down.
A $62.6 Million Question
Curry's 2026-27 salary of $62.6 million is the largest single contract on a payroll of $223.3 million that sits above the second apron. With that little room to add pieces without shedding salary elsewhere, the roster's ceiling this season is largely whatever Curry, Butler and Green produce on the floor together, not what gets added around them.
What He Needs to Be
Curry needs to be the same shooting hub he was last season, at a workload that doesn't wear him down before Butler and Moody are back in December. The efficiency numbers from a year ago say the tools still work at 38; the question camp has to answer is how much of that workload the roster can share once the full group is finally on the floor together.
Is Stephen Curry injured to start the season?
No. Curry is not on the injury report. Moses Moody and Jimmy Butler are the players ruled out, both with an estimated return of December 1.
How much is Stephen Curry making this season?
Curry is set to earn $62.6 million in 2026-27, the largest contract on the Warriors' roster.
