Stephen Curry sets return expectations and gives thoughts on Smart’s play

It’ll be a tough few weeks for the Golden State Warriors with Stephen Curry watching from the sideline. The Warriors lost to the Spurs in their first game without the two-time MVP.

Curry will be out several weeks after a “dangerous” play that Marcus Smart made. Whether or not it was actually dirty is an entirely different discussion, but Curry will be looking to return as soon as possible which may not be until the April playoffs commence.

The Golden State Warriors are going to be without Stephen Curry for a few weeks, and he recently weighed in on Marcus Smart’s playa and his timetable.

Curry has a sprained foot, and given his history with ankle injuries, that may be a tough one to recover from. However, Curry is expecting to be back with the Warriors currently sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference.

“Yeah, I think I’ve got enough time for that, but I’m an optimist,” Curry said.

Curry went on to say he didn’t think Smart’s play was necessarily dangerous.

“But I don’t think it was malicious or dirty or trying to hurt me.” Curry continued with. Smart is a hard-nosed, gritty player who will almost always make that play, so it didn’t come as a surprise when the guard was on the ground diving for a ball.

Curry has been instrumental in the success of the Warriors, and with Draymond Green having missed the bulk of games this calendar year, Golden State had already slipped out of second place in the conference.

Now, it’ll have to find a way to replace 19 shots and 26 points per game. Curry is also averaging 6.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game. He was among the MVP frontrunners for the first part of the season.

Replacing that production is going to be easier said than done as Golden State will ask Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson both to step up in an effort not to continue to fall in the rankings. The Jazz and Mavs are both looking to jump the Dubs if they can’t consistently win.

Given the Dubs drop in the rankings, they’ll really need Curry back in time for the playoffs, especially if they face Denver or Dallas in the first round.

That said, while Smart’s play might not have been dirty, it’ll certainly be impacting the remainder of the Warriors season.