After leaving the Warriors’ open practice on Sunday early in a scary moment for teammates and fans alike, Stephen Curry was diagnosed with a right ankle sprain, Dalton Johnson writes for NBC Bay Area.
Like many who saw the injury in real time, head coach Steve Kerr feared the worst initially and was relieved when Curry was diagnosed with an injury not believed to be major.
“Of course we were scared,” teammate Gui Santos said. “But it’s Steph. He’s tough. He’s going to be good. Tomorrow he’s going to wake up and be good. We were definitely worried. … The way that I saw him walking off the court, I didn’t think it was something really bad.”
The team did not provide an update on the severity level or a recovery timeline for Curry with Wednesday’s regular season opener around the corner. While Curry has dealt with plenty of ankle issues in the past, it’s good news for him and the Warriors that the injury isn’t related to the knee issues that plagued him last season.
We have more from around the Pacific Division:
The Warriors have another minor injury to manage heading into the season opener, as backup big man Charles Bassey is being listed as day-to-day with knee tendinitis, notes Nick Friedell of The Athletic (via Twitter). Having lost Quinten Post in the offseason and with Kristaps Porzingis unavailable due to an illness, the Warriors could use Bassey’s presence as a veteran big man with some experience in Kerr’s system. Bassey played five games for Golden State last season and averaged 10.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 20.0 minutes per game.
Ben Simmons suffered a brutal setback to his efforts to regain his place in the NBA, suffering a torn right Achilles during the Kings’ practice on Sunday. His minimum-salary contract was initially set to become partially guaranteed for $1MM if he made the opening night roster, but due to the salary continuation rules regarding injuries, he will be assured of receiving his entire $3.5MM salary, Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter). After the diagnosis was made official, Simmons took to Instagram to provide a statement. “I’ve faced challenges before that tested me mentally, physically, and emotionally, and I’ve found a way through every single one of them,” he wrote in the social media post, per Andscape’s Marc J. Spears (Twitter link). “*This injury is another chapter in my journey, not the end of my story… I’ve been knocked down before, and I’ve always found a way to get back up. This time will be no different.*“
Jordan Goodwin knows that there’s a simple formula that will keep him on the court for the Suns this year, according to Duane Rankin of Arizona Republic. “Whatever they need, man,” Goodwin said. “Whatever I got to do. If I got to go score. I got to get a stop. I got to dive on the floor. If I got to get a rebound. Or anything. Write something up on the board. Anything you need me to do, I can go out there and do it.” Goodwin called defense his number one responsibility with the team in Rankin’s Q&A, but his duties hardly end there, he says.