Steph Curry will miss the Warriors' final five games of the 2021-22 NBA regular season, but he plans to be back when Golden State opens their first-round playoff series on April 16 or 17.
"It feels good," Curry told NBC Bay Area's Anthony Flores on Friday when asked about how his sprained left foot feels. "I know it's not ideal in terms of end of the season, but hopefully doing everything I can to get fully healthy, ready for a playoff run. That's what it's all about at this point in time. I'm just trying to be there for my teammates, finish out the season strong and know that whoever we play in the playoffs, we'll be ready."
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Curry sustained the foot injury on March 16 in the Warriors' loss to the Boston Celtics and the team announced Friday that the two-time NBA MVP will be re-evaluated on April 11, the day after the regular season ends.
With the NBA adding the play-in games to the schedule, Curry gets a few extra days to heal before the Warriors have to open the first round.
"I hate missing any game," Curry told Flores. "But like I said, I'm thankful that there's opportunity to know there's light at end of the tunnel, hopefully, sooner rather than later. Everybody loves the bright lights of the playoffs and it's nice we're going to be back there after a two-year hiatus, so I'm looking forward to it."
Warriors coach Steve Kerr had hoped Curry would be able to play in one regular-season game before the playoffs start, but the team erred on the side of caution and will give their superstar two more full weeks to recover.
Golden State Warriors
"Everything is, in the way that we operate in terms of coming back, is just about being as strategic as possible in terms of those next steps," Curry told Flores. "I know what my target date is, I know it's trying to get back for Game 1 of the playoffs and whatever I've got to do to get there, that's what the goal is."
Curry has a long history of ankle and foot injuries, so he knows his body pretty well. And at the age of 34, he has to make sure he's fully healthy before playing in games.
Coming back too early could lead to Curry aggravating the injury, dooming the Warriors' chances of winning their fourth NBA title since the 2014-15 season.
"You don't want to rush where you put yourself in danger and that's why I know I won't be able to play the rest of the regular season," Curry told Flores. "But April 16th or 17th, whenever Game 1 is, that's the goal. Do everything in my power to be ready for those games that matter and hopefully be as close to 100 percent as possible."
The Warriors have been ravaged by injuries the last few years and Curry's sprained left foot is the latest to get in the way of championship dreams.
Beginning with the 2019 NBA Finals, Klay Thompson missed two straight seasons, first with a torn left ACL and then with a torn right Achilles. He ended up missing 31 months. James Wiseman, the No. 2 overall selection in the 2020 NBA Draft, tore his right meniscus last April and hasn't played in an NBA game since. The Warriors recently shut him down for the rest of the season after there was swelling in the knee following three G League games.
Just as Thompson made his triumphant return in January, Draymond Green suffered a disc issue in his lower back, causing him to miss two months. When Green got back in the lineup, Curry went down a few days later. A team that was competing for the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in December now is fighting to hold on to home-court advantage in the first round.
"It's kind of the theme of the Warriors the last two years," Curry told Flores. "Unfortunately, we've had a lot of guys that have missed time. Klay has been through it, James has been through it, Draymond's been through it this year. So you have to stay engaged as much as possible mentally, even if you can't be out there.
"Honestly, there are times where you're down because you want to be out there, you want to compete. That's your happy place. But as long as I can support my teammates, be as ingrained in what we're doing as possible, stay locked in mentally, then the transition back on the court is a lot easier."
Shortly after the Warriors issued the update on Curry on Friday, he was on the practice court, without a walking boot, supporting his teammates. He hasn't been cleared for on-court activities, but he can still provide guidance for the rest of the team. Right now, that's what Golden State needs as they try to secure the No. 3 or No. 4 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
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With the Dallas Mavericks losing to the Washington Wizards on Friday night, the Warriors enter their matchup against the Utah Jazz at Chase Center on Saturday night in possession of the third seed in the West. With the Jazz two games behind the Warriors, the clash in San Francisco carries massive seeding implications.
Curry won't be on the court to help the Warriors for the next five games, but he will be on the bench providing whatever coaching and moral support he can to Thompson, Green and the rest of the team.