The Golden State Warriors just got some tough Stephen Curry news—he’ll be re-evaluated in another 10 days—and now, they should seriously consider going with a full-on youth movement for the rest of the season. Golden State’s playoff hopes don’t look great, so rushing Curry back would be a bad idea.
Instead, the Warriors should shut Curry down for the remainder of the season and double down on the young players they have on the roster. They should take a look at how good their youngsters can be in order to evaluate whether or not they should be a part of the team’s future.
It’s a brutal situation to be in, but it’s the reality of the Warriors’ current situation.
Warriors should let Stephen Curry sit and focus on young players
Curry is still one of the best players in the world. When he’s on the court, the Warriors have a chance to win. It’s as simple as that. But he hasn’t been on the court lately. That’s the point.
The Warriors superstar hasn’t appeared in a game since January 30. And in that time frame, Golden State has gone just 5-10, proving just how valuable Curry is.
Obviously, the absence of Jimmy Butler has taken its toll as well, but at the end of the day, Curry is the best player on the team, just as he has been for the past decade.
But now, with the news from Anthony Slater of ESPN that Curry will miss yet another 10-day stretch, it feels like it’s finally time to start getting ready for next season.
Slater also noted that Curry is ready to push for a return in an attempt to help the Warriors get through the Play-In Tournament. But even that seems like a fairly fruitless endeavor.
Rather than doing all of that, potentially risking further injury for Curry just to get (likely) bounced in the first round at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs or Oklahoma City Thunder, the Warriors should play their young players more.
See what Brandin Podziemski can do down the stretch of the season. Give Gui Santos a ton of opportunities to play heavy minutes. Allow Quinten Post a chance to make mistakes and grow as a player.
In doing so, the Warriors would have a chance to evaluate which guys could be a part of their long-term plans.
It may not be pretty, but it would be a useful tactic for the final month or so of basketball.