The Golden State Warriors will be without superstar guard Stephen Curry for at least the next two games after the 2x MVP suffered a peroneal strain in Sunday's 112-104 loss to the L.A Clippers.
The team announced on Monday that Curry will miss Tuesday and Wednesday's home back-to-back against the New Orleans Pelicans, and will be re-evaluated on Friday ahead of Saturday's game against the Houston Rockets on the road.
The Warriors have also lost Curry's potential backup
The Curry injury is a major blow that's significantly dented Golden State's bright opening where they won their first two games by a record-setting 77 combined points. Given his past ankle issues and the fact he injured it twice on Sunday, the diagnosis on Curry certainly could have been worse.
There will now be a huge watch on Friday's injury update before a five-game road-trip, but unfortunately the 36-year-old isn't the only one to prepare for a stint on the sidelines as the Warrior injury list quickly goes from perfectly clean to potential nightmare.
Golden State announced that De'Anthony Melton will also miss the next two games due to a strained back. In Curry's absence, the 26-year-old guard was seen as a potential replacement in the starting lineup, but instead will be joining his new teammate on the sidelines.
It's a concern for the Warriors and Melton after the former 76er was limited to just 38 games last season due to a back injury. Melton signed a one-year, $12.8 million deal with Golden State in the offseason, and has so far averaged 6.3 points and 2.7 assists while playing 72% of his minutes at point guard according to Basketball Reference.
It's likely to leave significant pressure on second-year guard Brandin Podziemski as the team's primary ball-handler and playmaker. The 21-year-old has averaged 6.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 24.7 minutes per game to start the season.
Steve Kerr and his staff will now face a significant challenge in trying to effectively replace Curry's production, including in the starting lineup where more than one change may be required given the loss of three-point shooting.
The double injury blow does provide some clarity though, potentially allowing Kerr to go back to a 10-man rotation rather than the 12 he's been trialling over the start of the season. Yet Curry was the one player the Warriors couldn't afford to lose, and now that's been compounded by Melton's injury in what's a major early season test for the franchise.