Steph Curry Injury Update: The Key Questions the Warriors Face Without Their Star 

The Golden State Warriors’ best start in years just ran into a wall. Stephen Curry has a right oblique tear and will be out at least two weeks, which ended his team’s eight-game winning streak in the worst way. The Warriors are 8-4 and sixth in the West, but they now have to survive without a 38-year-old star who was averaging 27.8 points per game. Here are the five biggest questions Golden State must answer. 

1. How Long Will Curry Really Be Out? 

Curry left Wednesday’s 115-108 loss at Houston in the first quarter after hitting one three-pointer, and an MRI confirmed the oblique tear. The Warriors will reevaluate him in two weeks, which covers six to seven games, starting with San Antonio on Friday and then New Orleans and Dallas. League sources say the team is bracing for closer to a month, and oblique injuries can take longer than expected. That matters because Golden State went 13-26 in the 39 games Curry missed last season, and it is 1-2 this year in games he missed or left early. 

2. Can Yaxel Lendeborg and Brandin Podziemski Carry the Scoring? 

Nobody will replace Curry’s production one-for-one. But rookie Yaxel Lendeborg is averaging 21.7 points and 7.4 rebounds, and he had 25 points and 10 rebounds at Houston, 18 of them in the first half. Brandin Podziemski is averaging a career-high 17.3 points and recently scored 22 against the Rockets. The challenge is that opponents will now focus on them, and neither player pulls defenders away from the paint the way Curry does. 

3. How Much Pressure Falls on Draymond Green? 

Draymond Green leads the team in assists at 7.5 per game, and he projects to start alongside Lendeborg, Podziemski and De’Anthony Melton. After the Houston loss, he said this team is better equipped to handle Curry’s absence than last year’s group, because it’s more certain of who it is. That puts extra weight on him as the veteran voice and the primary secondary playmaker. Expect Green to run more of the offense from the elbow while anchoring the defense.

4. Who Runs the Offense and Spaces the Floor? 

Curry is shooting a career-best 45.7% from three, and his movement is the engine of the offense. The Warriors are also missing backup point guard Brandon Williams (hamstring), Jimmy Butler (ACL repair), Moses Moody (patellar tendon repair), Gary Payton II (knee) and Kristaps Porzingis, who is not with the team. That leaves Melton as the lead guard, with Green and Podziemski sharing the playmaking. Al Horford’s shooting at center could help keep the floor from getting cramped. 

5. Can Golden State Protect Its Playoff Position? 

At 8-4, the Warriors sit sixth in the West, but not far above the teams chasing them, with Denver 10th. The next stretch includes the 10-2 Spurs and Boston, plus NBA Cup games. Golden State was 1-0 in the Cup after a 17-point win over the Lakers on October 30. If the Warriors go even .500 over the next month, they’ll be in good shape. Last season’s 13-26 record without Curry is the warning.