SAN FRANCISCO– With Stephen Curry's window to return from injury dwindling, the Golden State Warriors' star finally took a major step in his progress toward getting back onto the hardwood.
Steve Kerr told reporters that Curry was a full participant in the Warriors' practice on Tuesday, doing drill work both offensively and defensively.
“He went through a full practice, but it was very light,” Kerr said. “We didn't do anything live. He's going to scrimmage right now, five on five. It's a good step for him.”
It's been a nebulous recovery process for Curry, as the patellofemoral pain syndrome and bone bruising in his right knee have proved to be a difficult injury to manage. Curry has missed 25 straight games since going down on January 30. In that stretch, the Warriors are 9-16, having fallen from the eighth seed in the West, all the way down to 10th.
However, this latest update, albeit minor and procedural, is a significant step for Curry's return to the lineup. The biggest hurdle for Curry's return has been his inability to participate in a 5-on-5 scrimmage, where he can get a feel for the physicality and speed of live ball.
Curry was supposed to participate in a 5-on-5 scrimmage in Atlanta the morning after the Hawks game, but the Warriors' medical staff ultimately did not clear him for that step. The hope was then to have him scrimmage sometime the following week, but once again did not get the green light to do so.
As such, the fact that Curry is finally able to participate in a 5-on-5 scrimmage marks an encouraging development for the two-time MVP after two weeks of being unable to clear that hurdle.
How did Stephen Curry look at practice?
Kerr maintained that while Curry was a full participant at practice, the Warriors didn't do any live action as they mostly focused on drill work on an otherwise light day at the facility. The Warriors also still have to evaluate how Curry responds during this 5-on-5 scrimmage, with VP of Player Health and Performance, Rick Celebrini, remaining the ultimate decision-maker as to whether or not he gets cleared.
Kerr also remarked that this progression gives Curry a good chance to have adequate runway to reacclimate for a potential return, something he stressed the 12-time All-Star needs to return to play.
“We're talking to Rick, it's scrimmage today, and [we'll] see how he feels tomorrow. And then we'll go from there,” Kerr said.
Still, Curry's participation at practice is a sizeable morale booster for a Warriors team that has missed him dearly. After practice, Warriors forward Gui Santos talked about the energy the team got seeing Curry get in some drill work.
“It's amazing just to have him out there with us,” Santos said. “He's always great. We have a lot more confidence when we have a guy like Steph on the court. That's no doubt about it.”
Santos remarked that Curry looked “good” at practice but noted that they weren't moving around too much as they weren't doing any live-action drills. Regardless, Santos understands the impact Curry provides as he and the team eagerly await his return.
“Even when he's not on court, just to be out there and supporting us. Everything that he says is so valuable for us,” Santos said. “But when he's on the court, of course, he's way better for us. And I hope that he's out there with us soon. That's gonna be great.”
