No time is a good time for an injury, but for Stephen Curry to go down a week before playing the Mavericks it is particularly bad. Last Thursday, Steph rolled his ankle in the final minutes of an intensely close game against Chicago and was unable to return. The Warriors couldn’t rally and lost a game they very much needed to win.
He’s missed the last three games, two of those resulting in a loss. Splitting back to back games with the Spurs hurts. They should have been easy tune ups before the crucial matchup against Dallas. Instead they’ve lost three of four and are dangerously further back in the standings. They currently sit four games back of the sixth spot and have made the climb to a safer playoff position far harder on themselves.
The Warriors simply cannot win any meaningful games with Steph on the bench and can’t afford his absence much longer. Draymond sitting out compounds the problem, but Steph is the captain and the ship sinks or floats based on what he does on the floor.
It’s wildly unfair to put such expectations and responsibility onto one man, but Steph has proven he has the shoulders to support the franchise and if there's any hope for a playoff run they need him back pronto. Klay no longer has the legs to compensate for Steph’s 27 points a game. Now, those points must come by committee and if the Warriors have an off shooting night, like they did against the Mavericks, a win is next to impossible.
When Steph comes back he’ll likely be on some type of time restriction so it falls to Kuminga to pick up the slack. Kuminga has been terrific as of late, but if he’s going to be the player the franchise hopes and expects him to be, the best time to show it is now.
Steph has a couple of days to heal up before playing the Lakers on Saturday. It’s reasonable to assume he will be a game time decision, but if he doesn’t play the Warriors are in serious trouble. Being two games behind the Lakers is far from insurmountable, but the Dubs can’t afford anymore setbacks.