No Warriors fan wanted to hear Stephen Curry say he’s going to be out “a little longer”. New MRI tests revealed the Warriors’ cornerstone will miss the next five games. Curry is yet to participate in any on-court activity. His focus is exclusively on strengthening the knee and eradicating persistent discomfort. However, it’s the details of the report that have really sparked concerns.

It was a mostly positive update for a player who hasn’t played since the end of January. But Dr. Nirav Pandya marks the coming week as a critical juncture in the two-time MVP’s recovery. Turning 38 soon, the Warriors will exercise all precautions before clearing Stephen Curry. In doing so, Pandya believes the only indication that progress is happening is for the Warriors star to get back to some basketball activity.

“I think this week’s probably gonna be pretty critical to determine whether we see with him. I think if we do see him back on the court, we see him doing some shooting and we see him progressing. I think that’s a positive sign,” the orthopedic surgeon revealed on 95.7 The Game.

However, Dr. Nirav Pandya wasn’t oblivious to some concerning details in Stephen Curry’s report. Particularly, he admits the Warriors star not being on the court and the MRI revealing bone bruises as an alarming sign. In doing so, he did note the possibility of the Warriors potentially deciding to rest Curry for the regular season.

“I think this week is really the critical week to see are we going to see Curry play meaningful minutes at the end of the season or is this going to be something that’s going to linger on and the team decides hey this is in the best interest of him playing the rest the season so he doesn’t have something that becomes more serious or leads to a secondary injury somewhere,” he added.

Can the Warriors survive without Stephen Curry?

With the nature of Stephen Curry’s injury, the Warriors can’t formulate a predetermined recovery plan. The condition, termed ‘runner’s knee’, occurs largely due to overworking the joint. The Baby Face Assassin hasn’t faced such an injury throughout his career, which compels the franchise to take the safest route possible.

That could clash with the window they have to win another championship with Stephen Curry.

So the question now is, can the Warriors survive this stretch without their master shooter? By the numbers, their offense falls apart without Curry. The Warriors shoot just 34.9% from beyond the arc with the four-time champion off the floor. Matters complicate when factoring in Kristaps Porzingis’ health.

The former Hawks center is capable of shouldering some of the offensive duties with Stephen Curry unavailable. However, he’s dealing with a mysterious illness that has seen him suit up just once since being traded to the Warriors. That leaves the entire onus on the Warriors’ existing core.

The team’s gone 4-6 during the stretch without their prolific ace. At 31-29, even a narrow slip-up could endanger the Warriors’ Play-In Tournament hopes. The Clippers and Blazers are right at their necks. Being successful in such an environment could prove to be a hefty task. However, if the Warriors can figure something out, it would help the team build confidence for the latter half of the season.

Whether Stephen Curry is ready or not, the Warriors have a singular aim. They have to win as much as possible to give their cornerstone an opportunity to make an impact during the postseason. It’s been rocky so far. And the schedule doesn’t get any easier. The Warriors will face three playoff teams over their next five games.

Without optimism, the Warriors might reach a brutal juncture if Curry’s recovery doesn’t go as planned.