As the Golden State Warriors prepare for another run at a title, the same burden remains on superstar Stephen Curry's shoulders: he is the key to the whole scheme working.
Yet, according to Tim Legler on the recent episode of the ALL NBA Podcast, Curry should be expected to miss a significant chunk of the regular season, as has been the pattern in recent years, and fans should be prepared for the team to sit Curry during the regular season in order to maximize his potential in the playoffs.
After Golden State's agonizing defeat to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the playoffs this past season, one could expect the team to be even more careful with Curry as the regular season drags on, and such news could be disappointing for Warriors fans.
The Warriors will need to find a way to win without Curry
Curry has been the most important player on Golden State for well over a decade now, and, whenever he is unable to play, his absence is felt severely throughout the rotation.
According to Tim Legler, "It's reasonable to expect [that Curry is] going to miss games... On average, he's in that 18-20 range [of games missed]. That's a quarter of your season, and he's just a year older, with still a ton of responsibility on his shoulders to be a certain level energy every night."
While Warriors fans know that Curry has done his best to play through injury for the sake of his team, Legler does have a valid point. In the past five seasons, Curry has missed a combined 83 regular season games, largely as a result of slight injuries and rest.
Moreover, Curry will likely continue to sit out the second half of back-to-backs this season, limiting his availability beyond even any potential injuries.
Although the organization's acquisition of Jimmy Butler proved to be a major boon to the team, providing a second bona-fide scoring threat in the starting lineup, Curry's presence remains as invaluable as ever. His ability to draw the defense toward him with the gravity of his uncanny perimeter shooting is wholly necessary for the Warriors' to achieve any sort of spacing.
This was evidenced most clearly against the Timberwolves, when Curry went down partway through Game 1 of the series with a hamstring strain. Throughout the rest of the series, the rest of the team slammed into a brick wall repeatedly trying to get any offense going and ultimately lost the series in five games.
With the Western Conference expected to be highly competitive next season, the Warriors cannot afford to just essentially forfeit the 15-20 games in which Curry will be rested. Therefore, while resting Curry will be necessary to maintain his health for a deep playoff run, the team must find a way to string together wins without him on the court throughout the course of the regular season.
Otherwise, they could be looking, yet again, at a fringe play-in situation.