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As the Golden State Warriors face another brutal Stephen Curry injury update, a potential replacement could come by way of the 2026 NBA Draft.
Though perhaps no Golden State Warriors fans would ever like to admit it, the end of StephenCurry‘s historic NBA career will have to come to an end at some point. Whileit’s uncertain when that will happen, it might be best for the franchise to start planning for the future, specifically through the NBA Draft.
While finding a true Curry replacement feels impossible, asit’s hard to imagine anyone else coming anywhere close to matching his prolific three-point shooting ability and records, Bennett Stirtz from the Iowa Hawkeyes at least offers some resemblance to the currently-injuredWarriors’ star, and could be his successor in Golden State.
In a recent NBA Mock Draft article on The Athletic, Sam Vecenie has the Warriors picking Stirtz from the Hawkeyes with the 16th pick in the upcoming 2026 Draft.
“The level to which Stirtz has figured out college basketball is pretty astounding after a slow start,”he wrote on the senior guard. “In 18 Big Ten games,he’s averaging 22.9 points and 3.7 assists while drilling 52 percent of his shots from the field and 38 percent of his seven 3-point attempts per game.”
In 29 total games this season, Stirtz is averaging 20.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.4 steals on 51.1/39.3/84.6 shooting splits.
Warriors Could Land Bennett Stirtz In NBA Draft As Steph Curry Replacement
Again, it should be clear that Curry has not given any indication that he plans to end his career and retire from the NBA anytime soon, but based on his recent health history and his current knee injury, as well as the fact thathe’s set to turn 38-years-old in less than two weeks, planning for the future might be best for the Warriors.
While Stirtzisn’t a guaranteed star, what he has shown in his college career and this season at Iowa proves that he at least has the potential to offer the same sort of abilities as Curry, which helped lead Golden State to four NBA championships and one of the greatest dynasties in league history.
Stirtz is a top offensive weapon in college basketball this season,specifically seen with his shooting percentages and high basketball IQ. Ithasn’t necessarily led Iowa to the best record this season and in the Big Ten conference, currently 20-9 (10-8 Big Ten), but on a team near the bottom of the country in pace, his numbers stand out even more.
Vince Wolfram
Bennett Stirtz has elite basketball IQ.
This is why… 🎥🏀
“With his pace and skill,he’s been a dynamite scorer with elite-level basketball IQ for a team that, frankly,isn’t that talented by Big Ten standards,”Vecenie added. “The Hawkeyes also play at one of the slowest paces in college basketball under coach Ben McCollum, making these numbers all the more impressive. (They play about 10 possessions fewer per game, on average, than Alabama.)”
Like Curry, Stirtz has a few question marks on the defensive end of the floor, buthe’s active in the passing lanes for a score-first guard. There are also some concerns about his ability to get to the basket, as he spends much of his time on offense on the perimeter, but thatdoesn’t feel like an issue theWarriors’ development staff will have much issue fixing.
Preparing for the post-Curry era in Golden State might be a brutal reality that could come sooner than any Warriors and NBA fans would like. Even though the team could target Stirtz in the draft, itdoesn’t meanhe’ll immediately come in and replace Curry, but having the two on the same team for a few years could be great for his development, as so far,he’s already shown that his shooting prowess can translate to the next level.
Stephen Curry Injury Update
Speaking of Curry, the star has been out since late January with a knee injury. There was an initial expectation that he would miss a short amount of time, but new reports, along with the latest Curry injury update, signalhe’ll miss more time.
According to Anthony Slater of ESPN, Curryis set tobereevaluated in ten days.
“Steph Curry will bere-evaluated again in 10 days, per source,”he wrote in a post on X. “Making progress on that ‘unpredictable‘right knee issue, as Curry called it, butthat’ll rule him out of at least the next five Warriors games.He’s missed the last 10 games.”
Anthony Slater
Steph Curry will be re-evaluated again in 10 days, per source. Making progress on that “unpredictable” right knee issue, as Curry called it, but that’ll rule him out of at least the next five Warriors games. He’s missed the last 10 games.
Both Slater and Shams Charania had previously reported that Curry is dealing with a ‘Runner’s Knee’, an injury thatso far has kept him out for over a month, with no clear timelineon a return.
“There’s no underlying structural issue that is of graver concern, but this is somethinghe’s been dealing with for over a month now. It originally popped up in Minnesota during a workout the day that game (vs.Timberwolves) gotpostponed,”Slater said in February. “He played through it a little bit…And then it started to bother him again.”
During theWarriors’ weekend game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Curry himself gave an injury update while speaking on the broadcast.
Anthony Slater
Here’s an update from Steph Curry to @Malika_Andrews on his “unpredictable” right knee issue. Still trying to advance to court work, acknowledged “it’ll be a little longer” before return is on the table.
“It’s going to be a little longer,”Curry toldESPN’s Malika Andrews. “But like I said, right now with this one,it’s just about each day. Can you stack good days, andI’ve done that. So hopefully they can unleash me on the court soon and get back out there sooner than later.”
In 39 games this season, Curry is averaging 27.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists on 46.8% shooting from the field and 39.1% from three. Before the injury, he was on pace to make another All-NBA team, buthe’s since become ineligible for end-of-season awards based on theNBA’s ‘65-game rule.’
For now, Curry remains out. Just another brutal chapterfor what has already been a disappointing season for the Warriors.