While Steph Curry has made “good progress” in his recovery from a sprained ligament and a bone bruise in his left foot, his return date is still uncertain.
Curry was doing individual work on Tuesday as Steve Kerr held press availability, but he cautioned against expecting much from Curry at this point.
“It’s literally day-to-day,” Kerr said.
Just before Kerr spoke, the Warriors sent out an update that said Curry “may return to full team practices at some point this week. His eventual return to game action — and the possibility of playing this weekend — is undetermined and will be based on his continued progress.”
The long layoff between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs means Golden State will scrimmage once between now and Game 1 against the Nuggets, which is a 7:30 p.m. tip time at Chase Center. Kerr said it is “essential” to get Curry into a scrimmage before he plays in a game.
“We’re not going to play him without getting a scrimmage,” Kerr said. “The whole team will need a scrimmage, given that we generally play every other day and suddenly we have six days between games — that’s pretty unique. So everybody will need a scrimmage.
“But it would be irresponsible to put Steph out there in a playoff game without having scrimmage time.”
Kerr said the the team will scrimmage on Thursday, but avoided setting any specific benchmarks that Curry would need to clear before returning to action.
“I think each day will determine where he is and what he can do the following day,” Kerr said. “And at the end of the week, we’ll determine whether he’s ready or not. So within that, it’s hard to predict much.”
Curry initially injured his left foot in the second quarter of the Warriors’ March 16 game against the Boston Celtics. Game 1 would be exactly one month to the day of Curry’s injury.
Golden State will begin outlining its game plan and strategies to its players on Wednesday, preparing many members of the Warriors’ young core for their first playoff experience. Kerr expects Curry to be a major factor in helping that preparation — whether the two-time MVP plays or not.
“That’s a big part of his role, as one of the captains and mentors on this team. He’ll play a huge role in that regard,” Kerr said. “A big part of game planning is messaging about what the playoffs are really about and how you have to approach things and handle them. We’ve got a lot of young guys, so we’ll be counting on guys like Steph, Draymond [Green], Andre [Iguodala] and Klay [Thompson] to really kind of advise the younger players and get them ready mentally.”
The one Warrior who may have his minutes change drastically based on Steph’s availability is Jordan Poole, who has been starting for the last month but could go to the bench if Curry returns. But Kerr pushed back on the idea that there’s uncertainty over Poole’s role.
“There’s no uncertainty. Jordan’s going to play, he’s been one of our best players,” Kerr said. “He can play with Steph, he can play when Steph is on the bench. He’s done all of that this year and he’s done a great job of it.”
Nuggets, Jokic present difficult matchup for Warriors
Kerr was rather effusive in his praise for the Nuggets and what coach Michael Malone has been able to do in a trying season for Denver.
“They’ve had an incredible year, under the circumstances with the injuries they’ve had,” Kerr said. “Mike’s done a great job with that team.”
All of that starts with the reigning MVP in Nikola Jokic, who is considered a leading candidate for the award again this season. The 6-foot-11 Serbian finished the season averaging 27.1 points (sixth-most in the NBA), 13.8 rebounds (second-most) and 7.9 assists (eighth-most).
The ability to be both an elite scorer and elite passer is rare, with only two other players finishing in the top 10 in both points and assists per game (Dallas’ Luka Doncic and Atlanta’s Trae Young). When asked if he considers Jokic more dangerous as a passer or a scorer. His response was simply, “Yes.”
“He’s dangerous in every regard — no matter how you play him, he’s got an answer for you,” Kerr said.
“It’s pick-your-poison. He can score one-on-one down on the block, brilliant passer. … We’re going to have to be really, really sharp, because he’s not only one of the best players in the league, he’s one of the smartest. He’ll pick you apart if you’re not aware and on guard.”
Kerr called the four regular-season matchups between the Warriors and Nuggets “interesting,” noting Draymond Green didn’t play in any of the four games, and each team lost a game in Denver on the back-end of a rough travel stretch.
“Given everything, with all the absences and irregularities of some of the games, it’s hard to get a great read on matchups and exactly how things will play out,” Kerr said.
But as the build-up to Game 1 on Saturday continues, it’s Curry — who faced Denver three times, but hasn’t played in a month — who remains the biggest question mark as the week progresses.
