Steph Curry Determined to Return This Season as Warriors Remain in the Play-In Picture

The Golden State Warriors’ season is unravelling with every passing game, and Stephen Curry’s long absence is not helping at all. The Dub Nation is now feeling jittery over the possibility of having a rather short postseason with the Warriors losing five in a row. The Chef, however, refuses to throw in the towel on this season.

A couple of weeks back, No. 8 looked certain for the Warriors. But now, they’ve slipped to ninth in the West, while the Trail Blazers look to be in a good position to pass them in the coming days. To make matters worse, Curry’s knee injury hasn’t improved.

Curry knows that there are fans in the Bay Area who want him to relax and focus on getting healthy for the 2026-27 season. But that’s not what he wants. After the Warriors’ loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday, Curry provided a timeline on his potential return.

In an interview with The Athletic, Curry, who recently turned 38, said, “If we have stuff to play for, we play. So, I’m working to get back.” 

Curry has missed 18 games due to patellofemoral pain syndrome, more commonly known as runner’s knee. The Warriors are set to re-evaluate him on March 22. They are hoping to have a clear timeline on his return by then.

Chef understands that the Warriors aren’t the favorites to win anymore. He’s unlikely to be 100 percent even when he eventually returns. Jimmy Butler is out with an ACL tear. And the rest of them just aren’t quite what a team needs to win back-to-back playoff series against the best.

But still, the four-time NBA champion will aim for a fifth ring. “I know we’re depleted, but the idea of my injury is just getting information by the day of, ‘Can I play safely? Be myself out there and not put myself in danger short-term or long-term?’ And then, we still have stuff to play for. We’d love to see guys in a playoff series and take a swing,” Curry said.

“Hopefully, see this team that’s currently constructed healthy for a stretch to learn as much as we can and compete. That’s who we are,” he added.

The Warriors play the Wizards on Monday in what is a must-win game. They have to snap out of their losing streak to keep themselves in the hunt for higher seeds and prevent themselves from dropping out of the top 10 altogether.