Will Steph Curry play again this postseason? That’s the big question that has emerged now in these NBA playoffs. The Golden State Warriors star is a four-time champ and still the most important player on their roster. And if they’re to have any hope of getting past the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Semifinals, they’re almost certainly going to need the best shooter of all time to do it.
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Steph injured his hamstring in the Warriors’ Game 1 win, and his absence was certainly felt last night as Golden State mustered only 93 points in the Game 2 loss. He famously dealt with chronic ankle injuries earlier in his career, but admitted that this is the first time he has faced a hamstring issue.
It’s a tricky situation because, unlike some injuries, it’s not like you can just take a shot for the pain, grit your teeth, and fight through it. If the hamstring isn’t right, you’re not going to play, period. The Warriors don’t know exactly when Steph will be back, but it won’t be in Game 3 or 4 as he continues to receive treatment and rehab his injury.
That means the Warriors could easily be facing a 3-1 deficit the next time their heart and soul takes the court. On Thursday night’s episode of Nightcap, Chad Johnson said that he thinks that Steph will be back by then to try and save the day. In fact, he guarantees it.
“It’s a two-week recovery,” Johnson said. “Normally with that kind of Grade 1 injury, especially a little twitch like that where it pulls real slightly, it’s always two weeks … he could even come back Game 4, but Game 5, he definitely gonna play.”
There’s no way to know if Curry will be able to play
Johnson sounds confident, but if we use his timeline of two weeks, that would put Steph on track to return in Game 7, which is 14 days after he sustained the injury. By then, the Warriors could be eliminated if Jimmy Butler and the rest of Steph’s teammates don’t step up to extend the series.
Shannon Sharpe brought up a great point about why Steph needs to make sure he’s fully healthy before attempting to play.
“He runs more than anybody in the NBA. He’s not a guy who can just stand in the corner. That’s not his game. His game is predicated on movement,” the NFL Hall-of-Famer said
“Sudden bursts and sudden stops and cuts. And you know when you got a soft tissue injury, man, they don’t like all that starting and stopping,” he added.
Even with a healthy Steph, this series could have gone either way. In fact, the Wolves were the betting favorite before it began. If he can’t return, it’s going to be extremely tough for Golden State to find a way, even with the championship pedigree of Draymond Green and Steve Kerr.
Imagine Steph does come back, though, and leads the Warriors back from 3-1? After his heroic Olympic performance last summer, it will be another incredible notch on his belt.
