"It’s Health": Stephen Curry on What Could Hold Golden State Warriors Back

Stephen Curry knows what could hold the Warriors back this season, and it has nothing to do with talent. Injuries followed the team for most of last year, and Curry missed plenty of games himself. The same worry is back before the new season has even started. Asked what the biggest obstacle is, Curry gave a short, blunt answer. Then he hurt his ankle in practice just days before the opener.

Curry says health is the big worry

Curry was a guest on The Stephen A. Smith Show when the question came up: what stands between the Warriors and a good year? “It's health. I mean, I missed whatever, so many games last year,” he said.

He named Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford and Draymond Green as players who know how to win big games. If that group stays healthy and the lineup holds steady through the regular season, he believes the team already showed enough last year. Missing players hurt the Warriors badly, he added, and every team needs health on its side, some more than others.

Curry played only 43 games last season, and Golden State finished 37-45, 10th in the West.

Curry cleared for the Lakers, but others are out

Curry's own scare came at the team's open practice last Sunday, when he slipped while dribbling, sprained his right ankle and left the court. The Warriors listed him as probable, and coach Steve Kerr didn't sound too worried. By Wednesday it was official: Curry was cleared for the season opener against the Lakers in Los Angeles, where he was expected to lead the team with Green.

Others aren't so lucky. Guard Brandin Podziemski is out with lower back soreness, and he can return Friday when the Grizzlies visit Chase Center. Porzingis is out and away from the team with what the Warriors call an undisclosed health issue, though he has shared his own update on the illness.

Two more players face a longer wait. Jimmy Butler tore his right ACL on Jan. 19, and ESPN's Anthony Slater reported he could be back between January and February. Moses Moody ruptured his left patellar tendon in March and, per Slater, could return between December and January.