Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry revealed he is a long way off returning to court as he continues to recover from a shoulder injury.
The reigning Finals MVP hurt himself in a loss to Indiana on December 14 after colliding with the Pacers’ Jalen Smith with the Warriors announcing they will be without Curry for ‘a few weeks’ the following day.
The 34-year-old provided an update on his recovery during TNT’s broadcast of Golden State’s 132-94 loss to the New York Knicks on Tuesday but it was not the boost Golden State fans were hoping for.
Curry revealed he wasn’t even ready to pick up a basketball, nevermind return to action.
‘This is an interesting one just because I haven’t had an injury like this to the shoulder. So it’s kind of a wait-and-see approach,’ Curry said from the Madison Square Garden sideline.
‘I’m still in the early healing process, so I’m nowhere near, even like, picking up a basketball yet.
The Warriors are in the midst of a 1-4 road trip and have dropped two of their last three games without Curry.
There is not an exact timeline yet for his return but if Golden State intends to defend its title it will hope its superstar is back up and running sooner rather than later.
The Warriors already had lost their first two games on their longest Eastern swing of the season and went on to lose to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets.
Curry was injured with about two minutes left in the third quarter as the Warriors tried to rally from a 20-point halftime deficit. His three-point play with 4:16 to go in the third got Golden State within 83-80.
But when Pacers forward Jalen Smith dribbled toward the baseline, Curry tried to stop him by sticking his left arm out. Smith continued, and Curry’s arm bent back awkwardly. Curry grabbed his shoulder while standing hunched over on the court then walked to the locker room during the next timeout.
Following Curry’s injury, coach Steve Kerr said: ‘This is a tough stretch of the season and if Steph’s out, it gets tougher for sure.
‘If we’re healthy, I feel like we can beat anybody — I think this team has proven that. We’ve just got to find a way to get there.’
