When Stephen Curry is off the court, the Warriors’ offensive rating drops to 103, more than five points per 100 possessions below the worst offense in the NBA for the season (Charlotte), and the Warriors are -11.1 per 100 possessions without Curry.
Disturbing numbers considering the Warriors will be without Curry for weeks due to a shoulder injury suffered Wednesday night, a story broken by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN with the Warriors confirming and adding details.
Stephen Curry, who suffered an injury during last night’s game in Indiana, underwent an MRI today.
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) December 15, 2022
The MRI confirmed that Stephen experienced a left shoulder subluxation. A timeline for his return will be provided in the coming days. pic.twitter.com/mzE0kDP2G2
A shoulder subluxation is essentially a partial dislocation (in a subluxation the humerus slides partially out of the joint then slides back into place, as opposed to coming all the way out in a dislocation). This usually also includes a labral tear to the cartilage that surrounds the shoulder joint. Recovery times depend on where the tear is — anterior, posterior — and its size. Curry is expected to be re-evaluated in a couple of weeks but will likely be out longer than that.
Re: Steph Curry: The average time lost for in-season shoulder subluxations that do not require surgery is ~21 days. But what is a subluxation?https://t.co/otvzMcfw3q
— Jeff Stotts (@InStreetClothes) December 15, 2022
That “weeks” timeline would have Curry out for the remaining four games on the Warriors’ road trip (they are 2-13 away from home), as well as their Christmas Day game against the Grizzlies.
Curry was injured late in the third quarter against the Pacers when he reached in to try to strip the ball from Jalen Smith and instantly grabbed his shoulder in pain.
Steph went to the locker room after appearing to injure his left shoulder on this play pic.twitter.com/FNFcSh8YrK
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) December 15, 2022
Curry left the game and went to the locker room not to return. He ended his night with 38 points in 30 minutes, numbers that fit with the MVP level he has played at this season. Curry is averaging 29.6 points per game, shooting 43.2% from 3, and adding 6.8 assists and 6.6 rebounds.
The Warriors will have to get by without that for a few weeks.
