SAN FRANCISCO — Klay Thompson hasn’t observed any important adjustments to Stephen Curry’s preparation for the postseason regardless of him being sidelined with an damage for the remainder of the common season.
“He’s simply doing what he’s at all times carried out, and it’s working as exhausting as he can,” Thompson stated Tuesday after follow. “The beauty of Steph is you don’t have to fret about him getting the work in, he’s going to do it. So we’ll welcome him with large arms when he comes again as a result of we’re clearly not the identical group with out.”
Curry sprained a ligament in his left foot in a house loss to the Boston Celtics March 16. There was a hope that he would return for the Warriors’ previous couple of video games, although it turned clear final week that he would wish slightly extra time earlier than he was recreation prepared.
Curry hasn’t been totally reintegrated again into follow as of Tuesday, coach Steve Kerr stated. However he’s making strides, which is fueling the group’s optimism he’ll be prepared for Recreation 1 of the playoffs, which start April 16.
Although his timeline stays unclear, the Warriors know they want Curry if they need a shot on the title.
Golden State is 5-10 this season with out Curry and 3-6 since he went down along with his damage. The Warriors are simply beginning to rediscover their model of basketball after a tricky month of March with three video games remaining within the common season. It helps that Draymond Inexperienced, the group’s most vocal chief and greatest defender, is “rounding the nook” after enjoying like a lesser model of himself in his first two weeks again from a disc damage.
Fortunately for Golden State, Curry has a optimistic observe document in earlier returns from accidents round this time of yr. And the group doesn’t consider Curry may have a difficulty choosing up the place he left off.
“Steph might be the best individual to only insert on any group… as a result of [of] how selfless, how amazingly gifted he's throughout the board, and simply… the sheer firepower that he brings the gravity that he brings when he’s on the court docket,” Damion Lee stated.
The group’s core of Curry, Thompson and Inexperienced are properly battle-tested, having performed collectively for practically 10 years and showing in additional than 100 postseason video games.
Thompson believes that have will make Curry’s return close to seamless.
“It’s been so lengthy and we’ve carried out so [much] collectively, that I feel [it’ll be] muscle reminiscence and simply enjoying basketball, it’s a easy recreation,” Thompson stated. “We like to play off one another. So I feel it will simply be like using a motorbike.”
The Warriors are going to should make changes on the fly.
“That’s what it’s going to take as a result of we don’t have some other choices,” stated coach Steve Kerr, who shares Thompson’s optimism in regards to the core’s expertise paying dividends this month. “It's significant that Steph Draymond, Klay, Andre [Iguodala and Kevon Looney,] these guys have all been via the battles deep into the playoffs, into the Finals. They’ve been via it collectively. In order that’s actually useful leaning on that have as a result of they won't have had any follow time collectively.”