Warriors’ Draymond Green sends strong warning to the NBA over the return of Stephen Curry after injury

The Golden State Warriors need to have their roster healthy, especially with the expected return of Stephen Curry, who had recently spoken about his injury recovery. His return is speculated to be soon. Draymond Green made it clear there was no concern about Curry’s timeline, expressing confidence that he would be ready for whatever came next in the NBA.

Power forward Draymond Green addressed concerns from fans about the team potentially bringing Curry back just days before the play-in tournament. “There’s a lot of fear growing that Steph Curry might not have enough runway for the play-in game… I don’t think Steph’s getting shut down for the season… If Steph is capable of playing, he’s gonna play,” said Green, per The Draymond Green Show on X.

The Warriors had been trying and failing to weather the storm with Curry sidelined due to injury, falling to four games below .500 after a recent loss against the San Antonio Spurs. The positive news was that Curry was expected to return to the lineup that weekend when the Warriors took the floor against the Houston Rockets.

Difficult moments for the Warriors

The Warriors need to climb at least a few spots to improve their play-in positioning. They are likely to win two straight elimination games to secure a playoff matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, which is far from ideal for a 38-year-old Curry who had not played in two months while recovering from a knee issue.

However, as Green pointed out, the team would not have brought Curry back or risked his long-term health unless they had felt he was ready to play.

The Warriors sat in tenth place in the Western Conference and are projected to face the Portland Trail Blazers on the road in the play-in if the standings hold. In the meantime, they are set to return to action Thursday night in a challenging home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

What did Curry say about his return?

Curry had provided updates on his condition, and there was significant attention surrounding his timeline. He made it clear that nothing was certain and that he did not know how his knee would respond, suggesting he was not fully ready.

“It felt great. I’m checking the boxes,” Curry told reporters after the session. “But with this, it’s always unpredictable. I don’t know how the knee will respond because it hasn’t responded well in past attempts to get to this 5 on 5 level.” Curry had been sidelined for two months, dealing with a setback in a season marked by injuries.