Warriors: Stephen Curry is NBA’s biggest x-factor
By Tony Pesta
There are a lot of uncertainties surrounding the NBA this playoff season. No one serves as a bigger x-factor than Stephen Curry’s potential to lift the Golden State Warriors out of their rut and back into title contention.
Stephen Curry has the ability to make the Golden State Warriors a powerhouse again, making him the NBA’s biggest x-factor this postseason.
Prior to his fluke ankle injury, Curry had been having one of his strangest seasons to date. He’s been an overwhelming positive on the floor but his scorching hot shooting streaks have come few and far between. He’s been lukewarm from deep, shooting a career-low 38.0%.
This makes his injury all the more concerning. Finding his groove and rekindling the chemistry between him, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson was a major goal for Curry before the playoffs begin.
Now, it’s unlikely Curry gets more than a week to ramp up for the start of the postseason, possibly even less time. Curry has not yet returned to on-court action and the playoffs are roughly two weeks away.
Steve Kerr talked to Steph Curry yesterday. He said Curry is still in rehab stage of his foot recovery. Not yet on the court. Here’s the full update. pic.twitter.com/dBL6t3p6R1
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 26, 2022
On the bright side, Thompson is progressing toward full strength while Green made his return earlier in March. Once Curry is ready, the big three will welcome him with open arms.
When this happens, Curry has the chance to raise the Warriors’ ceiling to a height few other players in the league can match. Sure, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have a longshot of both returning for the playoffs to make the LA Clippers a contender — but the window for this miracle return is shrinking, specifically for Leonard.
The same goes for Jamal Murray, who could return and help propel the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic into another tier of the Western Conference. Nevertheless, no one can argue Murray is capable of striking with the same power as Curry.
There is no one in the league who could make a bigger impact on the 2022 NBA Playoffs than a refocused, red-hot Stephen Curry. The Warriors will be hoping to see things fall into place just in time for April.