The skidding Golden State Warriors received a major boost Friday as Stephen Curry finally joined their full practice, according to coach Steve Kerr.
“He’s feeling a lot better and he went through all of practice,” Kerr said on 95.7 The Game’s Willard & Dibs. “I think there’s a decent chance he plays tomorrow (November 18 against Oklahoma City Thunder).”
Curry sustained a sore right knee following a hard fall in the second half of their 116-110 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on November 12. Luckily for the Warriors, Curry’s MRI result did not reveal any structural damage.
Still, Curry missed the next two Warriors games.
Without Curry, his Splash Brother, Klay Thompson, struggled.
Thompson had the second-worst shooting game of his career against the Thunder on Thursday, November 16. The Warriors starting wing was held to five points on 1-of-10 shooting from the floor.
Curry’s imminent return should rejuvenate the Warriors’ sputtering offense which only produced an average of 105 points on 41.3% shooting.
The Warriors superstar is averaging 30.7 points on 48.8% shooting, including 44.6% from deep. He is on pace for his best three-point shooting season since 2015-16.
Curry’s return will relegate Chris Paul back to the second unit.
The 38-year-old Paul started in both games when Curry was out. Paul averaged 15.0 points on 46% shooting and 6.0 assists over the Warriors’ last two games.
Golden State hopes to welcome back Curry with a victory that will snap a season-high five-game losing streak.
Steve Kerr Preaches Patience to Struggling Klay Thompson
Kerr rallied behind Thompson, prodding his struggling starting wing to stay on course.
“Just be patient,” Kerr said after the Warriors lost their fifth consecutive game. “It’s tough. They loaded up on him and made it really tough on him. They had [Lu] Dort draped all over him, doing a good job defensively.”
Without Curry and Draymond Green (suspended), the Thunder’s defense zeroed in on Thompson.
Kerr took the blame for not putting Thompson in a situation to get his rhythm back.
“We weren’t really able to create any space for him with our lineups, with our offense, they just kept him really smothered,” Kerr explained. “He was trying to get his own shot, and he took a lot of tough ones out of frustration. I think he’s just trying to get himself going, but we’ve gotta try to find a way to get him some cleaner looks.”
Warriors Urged to Move Klay Thompson to Second Unit
Former Warriors rival-turned-NBA TV analyst Channing Frye pushed for Thompson’s removal from the starting lineup amid his shooting struggles.
“I don’t expect Klay to be 2015 Klay,” Frye said on NBA TV Gametime. “I just don’t. It’s just he’s been through a lot of injuries. But this [year’s] Klay is a guy that has to come off the bench so he’s gonna have to get it together for them to win games and that’s just the truth.”
Frye’s suggestion isn’t to permanently bench the struggling wing. But only to get him more shots against weaker competition to regain his confidence.
“Are you trying to win games? Are you worried about somebody’s feelings? Maybe taking the pressure off him for a couple of games will help him get back into rhythm, where they could just focus on getting him more than seven shots and again, you’re Klay Thompson,” Frye explained.
“You got to take more than seven or 10 shots wherever it was happening. You have to be more aggressive. Your energy and confidence have to be up. Your young team is looking at you to be that leader with Steph [Curry] and Draymond [Green] out.”
