The Warriors Have Picked Up Curry This Season, Sick or Not

More details are coming out about the non-COVID illness Stephen Curry has been dealing with.

And while it was significant enough to prevent Curry from practicing – the only action for Curry recently was in the victory over Charlotte, as the two-time MVP missed practice ahead of Wednesday’s game – a more encouraging sign is Curry’s illness was not significant enough to deter a Golden State victory.

In fact, struggles from Curry in individual games this season, whether they are related to illness or not, are now more minimized thanks to a resurgence in the Warriors’ depth.

First pointed out by @antonin_org on Twitter after the win, Golden State is now 5-0 this season in games Curry failed to reach the 30-point benchmark. The tweet also painted a stark contrast to last year’s team, which was fitting given Kelly Oubre Jr.’s scoreless return to the Chase Center on a Hornets squad also on the receiving end of a Brad Wanamaker trade in March 2021; “Last year the Warriors were 11-14 when Steph Curry didn't score 30 points.”

This early development could spell a return to the “Strength in Numbers” mantra the team preached and printed on its XL, bright yellow playoff shirts it would leave for fans at Oracle Arena.

Curry scored under 30 points in the season-opening victory against the Lakers (21 points), as well as in subsequent wins at Sacramento (27) and Oklahoma City (23) and at home against Oklahoma City again (20) and Charlotte (15).

Noticeably congested in postgame interviews yesterday, Curry seemed able to rely on his teammates against his hometown team, even though his 26.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game this season have done a fair share of the heavy lifting.

Jordan Poole put in the most notable work last night, breaking out of a shooting slump to drop a team-high 31 points on 7-of-16 from distance. Poole is one of three players not named Stephen averaging double-digits thus far, with Andrew Wiggins and Damion Lee scoring 15.9 and 14.3 points per game, respectively, while the former Michigan guard has averaged 16.4 points per contest.

And if struggles could ever be positive, it’s fair to say Wiggins’ shooting deficiencies are given how much room for improvement they provide based on his track record.

The eight-year forward has actually progressed on his three-point shooting, hitting almost 39% of such attempts, but his inability to finish as efficiently on midrange jumpers and inside has dropped his effective field goal percentage from a career-high 54.3% last season

to its current 51.6%. Still, his eFG this season is higher than it was in any full season he spent in Minnesota, so it does not seem too unreasonable to say his continued progression will be key to supplement Curry’s occasional off-nights.

Additionally, Gary Payton II has emerged as a sparkplug on both ends of the ball, scoring 14 points last night to accompany his defensive prowess, and contributors like Nemanja Bjelica and Otto Porter Jr. still stand to get more in on the scoring.

Oubre, Wanamaker, Kent Bazemore and Nico Mannion were insufficient last year to make up for any lapses in Curry’s MVP-worthy scoring. This season, the supporting cast is more than holding up when Curry has the sniffles, and with a Klay Thompson return still on the horizon, there’s a lot to look forward to.

(Photo credit: NBAE / Getty Images)