Curry's Ankle Is Fine. The Roster Around It Is the Problem.
Steve Kerr says the scare was minor, but a team missing three of its six top-minute players from last season cannot absorb even a short Curry absence.
Stephen Curry tweaked his right ankle at an open practice, and Kerr says he is fine. Opening night at the Lakers comes Wednesday, and the margin for error is thinner than the preseason record suggests.
What happened at practice
Curry limped off the floor at the Warriors' open practice on Monday. ESPN's Anthony Slater reported he was fine after tweaking the ankle, and Hoops Rumors relayed Kerr saying the same. The Athletic, on Sunday, called it a right ankle sprain in a scrimmage. The injury report has him day to day with an estimated return of October 21, the date of the opener.
The number that matters
Butler, Moody and Porzingis were three of the six Warriors with the most minutes per game last season, and all three are out. Estimated returns run from November 9 for Porzingis to December 1 for Moody to January 2 for Butler. Curry played 43 games last season and scored 26.6 a night. When he plays, the offense has an organizing principle. When he doesn't, it has Podziemski and a long search.
Who fills the minutes
Gui Santos has averaged 29.6 minutes over his last 10 games, against 20.5 for the season. Charles Bassey's minutes are up nine a night over three games, with a teammate out. Neither number is a plan. Both are what a short rotation looks like when Kerr is forced to improvise, and Lendeborg, who led the team in preseason scoring at 15.6, will have to carry more than a rookie usually does.
Is Curry playing Wednesday?
The team has not said, and an estimated return date is not a decision. The week is three games, one of them a back-to-back: the Lakers on Wednesday, the Grizzlies on Friday, then the Suns on Saturday. The question is not whether Curry can play Wednesday. It is whether Kerr should spend him there with the next two nights stacked behind it.
Is Stephen Curry playing in the Warriors' season opener?
Kerr says Curry is fine after tweaking his right ankle, and the injury report lists an estimated return of October 21, the day of the opener at the Lakers. He is listed day to day, so nothing is final.
Who is injured for the Warriors right now?
Butler is out until an estimated January 2, Moody until December 1 and Porzingis until November 9. Curry is day to day with the ankle.
