In March 2018, Stephen Curry’s troublesome right ankle kept him out of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Golden State Warriors had to face Los Angeles without their star guard, and they still came away with a 117-106 victory, even with Klay Thompson also sidelined.
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Eight years later, another right ankle scare has put Curry’s availability under the spotlight ahead of another Warriors-Lakers season opener. This time, however, the concern goes beyond one player. Golden State is already missing several key contributors, leaving Steve Kerr with little room for another setback.
“He’s fine; Steph practiced fully today,” Kerr said on Monday. Asked whether Curry would play against the Lakers on Wednesday, the Warriors coach answered, “Yeah.”
The update offers Golden State some much-needed relief after Curry limped off during the team’s open practice at Chase Center on Sunday, October 18. But with Brandin Podziemski ruled out and several other players unavailable, Curry’s return to practice does not solve every problem facing the Warriors.
Curry tweaked his right ankle during a scrimmage and headed to the locker room without returning to the court. Anthony Slater reported that his status for the opener was initially uncertain, although a team source described the injury as “not serious.” Kerr also spoke with Curry in the training room after the incident.
“He’s fine. I went and talked to him after he went downstairs and I went in the training room, he’s doing fine,” Kerr said after Sunday’s practice.
The initial fear was that Curry might have aggravated the right knee issue that kept him out for a large part of the previous season. Nick Friedell of The Athletic reported that people watching courtside initially feared the worst before learning the injury involved Curry’s ankle rather than his knee.
Asked whether his heart skipped a beat when Curry limped away, Kerr had a brief answer.
“Always, always.”
That reaction carries more weight given what Curry went through last season. He played only 43 games in 2025-26, missing 27 consecutive games with patellofemoral pain syndrome and bone bruising in his right knee. The Warriors have since taken a careful approach to managing his workload.
Curry has also acknowledged that managing his body is part of playing at this stage of his career. In September, he explained that missing so many games last season would naturally remain on his mind as he prepared for another campaign.
“I think because I missed so many games last year that that’s going to be like top of mind, and obviously should be. But anybody at this age and with the number of miles, you’re managing something. So, it’s kind of part of the longevity aspect of this, and I’m not afraid of it,” Curry said.
The Warriors have reason to be careful, but Curry’s full participation in Monday’s practice and his expected availability for opening night are encouraging signs. The bigger question is how much support he will have when the team takes the floor in Los Angeles.
Golden State is without Jimmy Butler, who is recovering from right ACL surgery, and Moses Moody, who is recovering from a ruptured left patellar tendon. Kristaps Porziņģis is also unavailable and is not traveling with the team, leaving another gap in the frontcourt.
Charles Bassey’s status adds to the uncertainty. The center is dealing with right knee tendinitis and was considered day-to-day ahead of the opener. Al Horford, meanwhile, is expected to face a minutes restriction, limiting how much Kerr can rely on the veteran to cover the team’s frontcourt needs.
That leaves the Warriors needing contributions from players who may be asked to take on larger roles than expected. And one absence in particular could make Curry’s job more difficult.
Podziemski did not practice on Sunday or Monday, prompting Kerr to describe his status as day-to-day before the guard was ruled out of the opener with bilateral lower back soreness. His absence removes an important backcourt option just as Golden State prepares to face a Lakers team built around Luka Doncic.
“He did not practice today, so he’s day-to-day, and we’ll have the update tomorrow. Will be on the NBA portal injury report,” Kerr said on Monday.
Podziemski had given the Warriors plenty to like during the preseason, averaging 14.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists across five games while shooting 39.3% from three-point range. He also performed well against the Lakers, scoring 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting in one meeting before adding 17 points, five rebounds, and two assists in another.
Those performances made him a useful option alongside Curry. Without him, Golden State will need other guards to help handle the ball, create shots, and keep the offense moving when Curry is not initiating the play.
De’Anthony Melton is among the options available to take on a larger role. However, replacing Podziemski’s minutes is not the same as replacing everything he contributes, and the Warriors will need their remaining guards to share the responsibility.
Curry’s importance becomes even clearer when looking at Golden State’s numbers from last season. He averaged 26.6 points, 4.7 assists, and 3.6 rebounds across 43 appearances, remaining the team’s main source of scoring and its most dangerous perimeter threat.
The Warriors went 24-19 in games Curry played and 13-26 without him in 2025-26. Their offensive rating also fell from 119.3 points per 100 possessions with Curry to 110.7 without him. Those figures do not tell the entire story, but they show how much more difficult scoring became when he was unavailable.
That difference matters against a Lakers team led by Doncic. Curry’s shooting range and movement can force defenders to cover more ground, creating openings for teammates. Without enough secondary creators around him, however, Golden State could struggle to maintain that pressure for an entire game.
Kerr will also need to manage the frontcourt carefully. With Porziņģis unavailable and Bassey’s status uncertain, Draymond Green could be asked to spend more time at center. Green’s passing and defensive awareness give Golden State options, but the team could still have trouble matching the Lakers’ size.
There is one encouraging development for the Warriors: Yaxel Lendeborg has earned a starting spot for opening night. The rookie impressed during the preseason, averaging 15.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.0 assists across five appearances.
“What’s really obvious after three weeks is that he’s a starter, so he’ll be in the starting lineup Wednesday,” Kerr said.
Lendeborg also made an impression during Summer League, where he helped lead Golden State to the championship and earned MVP honors. His ability to score, rebound, and pass gives Kerr another option as the team tries to cover for its missing players.
But a starting role on opening night brings a different challenge from a strong preseason. Lendeborg will need to adjust to the speed and physicality of regular-season basketball while helping a shorthanded team compete against an opponent with its own offensive threats.
Curry has already made it clear that the rookie will need to learn quickly. The Warriors cannot expect Lendeborg to replace the production of their injured stars, but his early contributions could help ease the pressure on the remaining rotation.
Golden State’s opener will therefore test more than Curry’s ankle. It will show how well the team can organize its offense, defend the Lakers, and distribute responsibilities when several familiar options are unavailable.
The 2018 meeting offers a reminder that the Warriors have won against the Lakers without Curry before. But the circumstances are different now, and the current roster has its own set of challenges to overcome.
Curry’s full practice and Kerr’s confirmation that he expects to play are the updates Golden State wanted. Now, the Warriors need the rest of their available players to make sure that relief translates into a strong start to the season.