Curry Will Play Wednesday. The Question Is Who Plays With Him.
Curry is cleared for Wednesday at the Lakers, and with three starters out past December the lineup around him is the real decision.
Anthony Slater at ESPN reported the Warriors expect Stephen Curry to play in the opener after rolling his right ankle Sunday. Brandin Podziemski and Charles Bassey joined the injury list Monday, while Butler, Porzingis and Moody stay out into December and beyond.
The scare is over
Curry limped out of Sunday's open practice with a right ankle sprain. By Monday the reports agreed: Kerr called him fine, Slater wrote the team expects him Wednesday, and his listing carries that date. Monte Poole called the sight an uncomfortable reminder about this season, and he is right. A 38-year-old at $62.6 million is the whole offense until Butler returns.
Who stands next to him
The best five-man group last season was Curry, Butler, Green, Kuminga and Podziemski: 65 minutes over 8 games, net +16.9. None of it reaches Wednesday. Butler is listed out until January 2 with his right knee, Moody and Porzingis until December 1, Kuminga is no longer on the roster, and Podziemski showed up Monday with a back issue. The five that played the most together last season, with Moody and Post instead, was outscored by 6.5 per 100 possessions.
The number that matters
Dalton Johnson reported Yaxel Lendeborg led the team in preseason scoring at 15.6 and rebounds at 7.4, second in assists at 4.0, on 56.9 percent shooting, and Mike Dunleavy said he is already impressed. Johnson also counted 25 assists to 6 turnovers for Green over four games. That is the shape of the opening lineup: Green organizing, Curry dragging two defenders, a rookie forward cutting into the space.
What November decides
Wednesday opens four games in six days: Lakers, Grizzlies on the 23rd, Suns on the 24th, Nuggets on the 26th. The payroll sits at $219.8 million, above the first apron, so help is not coming from outside. The open question is whether Lendeborg and Gui Santos can hold rotation minutes through a back-to-back, or whether Kerr spends November protecting Curry alone.
Is Stephen Curry playing in the Warriors' opener against the Lakers?
ESPN's Anthony Slater and others reported the Warriors expect him to play Wednesday, October 21, after a right ankle sprain in Sunday's practice. His injury listing carries that date as the return.
When do Jimmy Butler, Kristaps Porzingis and Moses Moody return?
Butler's listed return is January 2 with a right knee injury. Porzingis and Moody are both listed out until December 1.
