Stephen Curry said his knee “feels great” as he prepares to return to the Golden State Warriors after a two-month absence. The 38-year-old guard said the recovery has been “a long process, longer than I thought,” but he is ready to test himself in live action again.
“It’s been a long process, longer than I thought, but I’m just happy to have a little clarity and a little window to get back out there and try to get to the level I was playing at and finish the year strong,” Curry said on Saturday.
Curry missed 27 straight games with a persistent knee injury, and Golden State has slipped to 36-41 during that stretch. His return comes with the Warriors fighting for postseason position and trying to salvage momentum in the final week of the regular season.
Curry made it clear he still wants to be on the floor for meaningful games. “I love playing basketball. That’s what I get paid to do,” he said. “If I’m healthy to play and it’s safe to go out there and test it in live action, all the work that I put in will hopefully pay off.”
The Warriors star said the setback was more difficult because the timeline kept changing. “It was more a mental thing at first,” Curry said. “I thought I was going to be out for like a week, 10 days max. Every time I got on the court or tried to push it, there was always a reaction.”
He added that this injury has been different from the others in his career. “This is every day I wake up, first thing you think about is how does it feel? That unpredictability was definitely a struggle throughout the whole process.”
Curry also said the knee is in a better place, even if he will still have to manage it. “There’s nothing structurally wrong with my knees,” he said. “It is a new normal though. It’s just a matter of understanding what I need to do off the court to make sure everything around my knee is strong.”
Golden State still has something to play for, and Curry said that matters. “Hopefully winning two play-in games and then we have another conversation,” he said. “It’s the only thing that’s in front of us right now.”
He said the team’s recent struggles have not changed the effort level. “First and foremost is the fight,” Curry said. “We’ve lost a lot of tough games, but I don’t think any of them have been because of a lack of effort.”
Curry also pointed to the growth of his teammates during his absence, especially Gui Santos. “Gui’s taking a tremendous step forward,” he said. “He’s just seeing the game really well. So, it’s helped us.”
That support extends to Kristaps Porzingis as well. “Anytime you have a talent like that and two guys that can demand attention, it’s always a good thing to create good offense and help elevate whoever we’re out there with,” Curry said.
For Curry, the next step is simple. “I’ve done everything I can to get back out there,” he said. “That’s all I can ask for.”
