After Kristaps Porzingis took to the floor against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night, the Golden State Warriors are set for another anticipated return when they face the Jazz in Utah on Monday.
Seth Curry is set to make his return to the lineup for the first time since December 2, with the veteran sharpshooter now holding a 19-game stretch that could make or break his NBA career.
Seth Curry will be playing for his career over the remainder of the season
The 35-year-old has been listed as probable for Monday's meeting with the Jazz, likely putting an end to an elongated 40-game absence due to a sciatic injury. Curry has appeared in just two games and 32 total minutes all season, offering the Warriors little after shooting a career-high 45.6% from 3-point range with the Charlotte Hornets last year.
His first game back at the start of December was explosive, surprising many with a 14-point performance on 6-of-7 shooting (2-of-3 from 3-point range) in less than 18 minutes at home against the Thunder.
Curry will need more of those type of games to perhaps save his NBA career, having already been forced to wait all offseason to get a contract thanks to Jonathan Kuminga's long free agency process. Even then, the Warriors had to waive Curry and could only bring him back a quarter of the way through the season due to financial constraints.
Those elements suggest Curry could find it difficult to garner another contract, whether with Golden State or elsewhere, for next season where he would be 36-years-old and coming off a rather lengthy and worrisome back injury.
Seth Curry could still see major opportunity with the Warriors
The good news for Curry is that he could get enough opportunity over the rest of the season to make a statement and make his case for another NBA contract. If you're a healthy and available player on the Warrior roster right now, you're likely to play as has been highlighted in meaningful minutes recently for two-way contracted players Malevy Leons, Nate Williams and LJ Cryer.
The other aspect is that Golden State actually need Curry's elite 3-point shooting, especially given his brother's current injury absence and after trading a similar type player in Buddy Hield before the deadline.
In the 13 games since the older Curry brother has been sidelined with 'runner's knee', the Warriors rank second in 3-point attempts (46.7 per game) across the league, but rank just 22nd in 3-point percentage (34.3%).
That proves Seth could still be an important part of Golden State's plans over the last 19 games, allowing him to work his way into another deal should he impress and contribute.