Steve Kerr says Stephen Curry 'looking great,' wants him to play with Andrew Wiggins this season
With the Golden State Warriors sporting the NBA’s worst record and staring at a prime lottery pick, there’s little motivation to rush Stephen Curry back to the court.
But the two-time MVP point guard is participating in practice drills in anticipation of a return to action before the season’s over. And according to head coach Steve Kerr, Curry looks “great.”
Kerr spoke with reporters after Wednesday’s practice that saw Curry participate with a red no-contact jersey similar to the ones NFL quarterbacks wear. Curry hasn’t played since breaking his left hand on Oct. 30 against the Phoenix Suns.
‘We’re calling him Tom Brady’
Steph Curry was in a red jersey for practice today. It meant: Don’t touch. Steve Kerr: “We were calling him Tom Brady.” Curry took part in all non-contact parts of practice. Won’t scrimmage this week. Full update here. pic.twitter.com/C8L5ObMBuJ
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 19, 2020
“We’re calling him Tom Brady today,” Kerr joked. “Don't touch Steph. I think it was more for fun than anything, but he took part in everything other than our scrimmage. We scrimmaged at the end and he didn't do that, but he took part in everything else, and he's looking great.”
Kerr emphasized that despite Curry being in excellent condition thanks to “brutal workouts,” his timeline remains unclear because of contact restrictions. The Warriors obviously don’t intend to put Curry’s healing process at any sort of unnecessary risk, especially considering the lack of stakes involved.
“I don’t know when he’s gonna be allowed to scrimmage,” Kerr continued. “It’s not this week or anything.”
Curry didn’t appear to have any problems putting up shots after practice.
#StephCurry putting up shots after #Warriors practice. I lost count how many he made in a row. #SteveKerr says Curry will play when he’s healthy. @nbcbayarea pic.twitter.com/LEHc9s7D4z
— Anthony Flores (@AnthonyTVSports) February 19, 2020
Why bring Steph back?
So why exactly would the Warriors bring Curry back in the midst of a 12-43 campaign? There’s nothing competitively to play for. Any more winning only hurts their chances of landing the top pick.
Kerr wants Curry to get some reps this season alongside new acquisition Andrew Wiggins. And he wants him to get a feel for what it’s like to play on a roster that doesn’t include Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala or Shaun Livingston.
Steve Kerr explains the importance of getting Steph Curry around 15-20 games the rest of the season. He said he’s still not entertaining idea of Klay Thompson returning. pic.twitter.com/nj32TbMSmG
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) February 19, 2020
“I think it's important for Steph and Andrew to get to know each other and to play together," Kerr said. “I think it's important for Steph to play without all the guys we've lost who are not gonna be back next year — Kevin and Andre and Shaun.
“With all these young guys, we're trying to teach them on the fly and a lot of things that we have taken for granted over the last five years, we can't take for granted anymore. Steph needs to feel that himself.”
Klay a ‘long way’ from returning
Kerr also said that Klay Thompson is a “long way” from returning from his ACL tear and that he doesn’t “entertain any thoughts of Klay playing this year.”
Aside from the basketball reasons Kerr mentioned for bringing Curry back, his appearance on the court at the Chase Center will be a welcome sight for Warriors fans coping with the shock of plummeting from five straight NBA Finals appearances to the dregs of the league.
More from Yahoo Sports:
