Injuries always suck. No one wants to see a player deal with an injury, especially not an MVP caliber player like Stephen Curry. But, this recent injury is as close to a win-win for the Golden State Warriors as they can get.
While we would rather have Stephen Curry be fully healthy, this is a win-win situation for the Golden State Warriors
Curry suffered a bruised tail bone after stumbling back to the sideline against Houston. He made a rough landing with the concrete floor and has been sidelined ever since. Curry missed both games versus Memphis, with the Dubs winning the first match behind an impressive team performance.
Even in their loss, the Warriors saw impressive strides from the likes of Jordan Poole who has continued his strong shooting streak by scoring 26 points and dishing five assists. Poole is one of the main players who has benefited from Curry’s absence.
With Curry on the bench, Poole has had an opportunity to show all of the improvements he’s made over the year. He’s growing confidence in his shot and is taking full advantage of every minute he’s on the floor.
This is the first reason Golden State is in a win-win situation. Curry’s injury, as unfortunate as it might be, seems like it will be relatively insignificant in the long run. This means he will make a full recovery while the rest of the Warriors learn how to compete on their own.
Players like Kelly Oubre, Andrew Wiggins, Eric Paschall and James Wiseman have a valuable chance to get some experience under their belts. The time is now for these guys to show what they are made of.
And, even if they falter and drop a few games, the Dubs will happily retain their first round NBA Draft pick. Golden State is less than a game behind Dallas for the eight-seed but they are also only four games ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans (who sit in 12th place).
It hasn’t been made clear how long Curry will be out – but with the Philadelphia 76ers, Miami Heat and red-hot Atlanta Hawks all coming up on the schedule, a slump could see the Warriors ultimately missing the playoffs.
I’ve touched on this topic before. Placing their chips in the upcoming draft and hoping for Minnesota’s pick to fall out of the top three could see Golden State ending up with two lottery picks. This provided endless opportunities for restructuring the roster and, in the end, would be a win for the Dubs.