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For the rest of 2020, it will just be splash brother, not brothers.
Golden State head coach Steve Kerr said on Wednesday that the timetables for the return of his star guards, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, are different. For Curry, the 2014-15 unanimous MVP will be back on the court in a matter of weeks. For Thompson, the career 42 percent three-point shooter that has not appeared in a game all season will not play at all this year.
Curry’s Return
The point guard from Davidson suffered a broken left hand against the Phoenix Suns in October. Since then, the Warriors’ record has become a league-worst 12-43. Curry’s return comes at a dire time, as the Warriors are already mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. However, that will not deter Kerr from playing his star point guard once he is officially cleared medically. Kerr feels that lack of post-season aspirations is not enough reason to sit Curry for the rest of the year.
He appeared in just four games before the injury this season. But in those four games, Curry averaged just over 20 points per game. That number came despite an unusually low three-point percentage for him (24.3). For his career, the former Davidson guard is a 43.5 percent three-point shooter and averages 23.5 points a game.
Steve Kerr on the idea of holding out a healthy Steph Curry: “No. He’s perfectly healthy. If the point is he might get hurt, what’s the point of ever playing anybody? I guess the argument is we’re not making the playoffs. So, are we not trying to entertain our fans?” pic.twitter.com/3I8VUmCN07
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 19, 2020
Thompson’s Return (Or lack thereof)
Golden State’s shooting guard tore his ACL during the NBA Finals last season. When he returns at the beginning of next season, superstar Kevin Durant will no longer be a teammate of his. Shooting guard D’Angelo Russell, who Golden State traded for in the offseason and played 33 games in a Warriors’ uniform, never played with Thompson as a teammate. However, barring another trade, Thompson will have a new teammate in shooting guard Andrew Wiggins.
Golden State traded Russell for Wiggins just before the NBA’s trade deadline on Feb. 6. The guard from Kansas currently averages 22.5 points per game that will go along with Thompson’s career average of 19.5.
What it means
Since the post-season is not in Golden State’s plans for this year, Kerr’s comments on his player’s health have more of an indication on next year’s version of this club. The full return of the splash brothers in the 2020-21 season, with the addition of Wiggins, is an entirely new look for the team that made five-straight NBA Finals and won three of them. It will also once again change the outlook of the Western Conference, which already added superstars LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard in back-to-back seasons.
