It appears that we may just be only one week away from seeing Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry return to action.
Curry has been out since Oct. 30 with a fractured left hand. He's since had two surgeries on that fractured hand, but has been progressing in his rehab inching closer to returning to action.
Back in January, Curry stated he was aiming for a March 1 (USA) return date when the Warriors host the Washington Wizards, and on Saturday, the two-time MVP was cleared for full contact in practice for the first time.
He scrimmaged at full speed with the team, and head coach Steve Kerr is confident that Curry will be back on the court "before too long."
Steph Curry has been fully cleared for contact. He scrimmaged today. Return is nearing. Here’s the full update via Steve Kerr. pic.twitter.com/15HUJIDXMG
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 22, 2020
Curry himself also spoke on his injury, stating how "new" everything feels in regards to his hand.
"I'm getting used to what the new normal is," Curry said in response to if he thinks his hand will ever get back to normal. "It definitely feels different, but I'm trying to get to a point when I'm actually playing basketball that I don't think about it."
He also mentioned that his biggest concern – aside from being able to play without thinking about it – was how the hand will react the next day after going full speed, drawing contact, etc.
But the six-time All-Star is still confident in that March 1 return date: "It's always been March 1," he told the media.
Curry has only appeared in four games this season, averaging 20.3 points, 6.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game shooting 40.9% from the field and 24.3% from 3. The Warriors have struggled mightily without him and injured teammate Klay Thompson, sitting in at 12-44 in last place of the Western Conference.
Should Curry be back for that March 1 game against the Wizards, he'll have 22 games to get accustomed to playing alongside his new teammate Andrew Wiggins. After just one scrimmage, Wiggins could already feel the impact that Curry has on the floor.
“He’s a game-changer. Once he steps on the floor, the game changes,” Wiggins told the media after practice.
And Curry had nice things to say about Wiggins, too.
"He's a walking 20 points. The intangibles he can bring, cutting, length on defense, all those things will be a fun process to build that chemistry. This is a 15-month journey to spring next year."
If we get 22 games of that pairing, alongside Draymond Green, it should be fun to get a sneak peak of what the Warriors could possibly look like next season.
