Golden State Warriors Receives Latest Injury Update On Will Richard Following Torn UCL Scare

Warriors rookie Will Richard faces an injury setback scare© Instagram/ willrxch

Will Richard has a torn UCL in his left thumb, and the Warriors have not set a return date. Steve Kerr broke the news Monday, ahead of a home game; the 56th pick of last year's draft was already set to miss. Surgery is on the table. So is playing out the rest of the season in a splint, the outcome Kerr is hoping for. Kerr said nobody will know more until the swelling goes down, and he put that at a few days. The next update is expected next week.

What Is The Latest On Will Richard's Torn UCL?

Kerr kept the update short. “We're hopeful he's able to play through it,” he told reporters, then added, “and we'll know more after a few days when the swelling goes down.” Nothing else came with it.

The timeline is simple. The injury appears to have come Saturday, in a 126-119 overtime win over Orlando. Golden State had won three in a row by then, beating Phoenix 116-113 and Miami 120-100 before the Magic game. Monday's matchup with New Orleans went ahead without Richard, and Houston is next on the schedule.

Once the swelling settles, Richard and the team can pick between surgery and the splint. Kerr has already said which one he wants.

Warriors Backcourt Has To Fill Richard's Minutes

Golden State has taken another significant injury blow this season. Richard had settled in as a reliable backup guard, playing 17.2 minutes a night. He averaged 5.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists, and he hit 42.9% from the three-point range.

He also started three of the first 10 games. For a second-round pick, it was a real workload.

The scoring totals are small. The shooting is not. Golden State loses a bench guard who was making threes at a high rate.

De'Anthony Melton, Brandon Williams and Gary Payton II are expected to absorb the extra work in the backcourt. Kerr will lean on them until the thumb news comes in.

There is a depth question here too. All three are guards, so nobody has to play out of position. But each one takes minutes from someone else, and the Warriors will feel that most over a run of games played close together. Houston comes first, then San Antonio, then a rematch with New Orleans.