The Golden State Warriors finally have encouraging news on Stephen Curry. After completing 5-on-5 scrimmage work in his recovery from a right knee injury, he is expected to return today against the Houston Rockets.
The Warriors are still in a fragile spot, but the picture is clearer now. Golden State is 10th in the Western Conference at 36-41 with five regular-season games left, and Curry’s return could still shape the team’s play-in outlook and late-season momentum.
Let’s take a closer look.
How the injury happened
Curry’s knee problems did not begin on the court. They started quietly during a solo workout. The very first signs appeared on January 24 during a solo workout in Minneapolis. Just days later, on January 30, Curry exited a game against the Detroit Pistons in the third quarter, grabbing his knee. He limped off the floor and never came back. That was his last game played.
The injury was officially diagnosed as patellofemoral pain syndrome, also known as runner’s knee, along with bone bruising in the right knee. An MRI confirmed the full diagnosis and showed no structural damage. That was the one piece of genuinely good news in an otherwise difficult situation for Golden State.
What runner’s knee actually means
This is not a simple sprain. Runner’s knee is stubborn, unpredictable, and personal to each athlete’s body. Patellofemoral pain syndrome causes aching pain around the kneecap that gets far worse with running or intense lateral movement. For a player like Curry, who spends entire games sprinting off screens at full speed, this injury hits harder than it would for almost any other professional athlete in the sport.
Runner’s knee can be difficult to manage because symptoms often fluctuate with activity, and recovery timelines vary from player to player. That uncertainty helps explain why Curry’s absence lasted longer than the Warriors initially hoped.
The long road through rehab
Curry was initially expected back right after the All-Star break. He sat out the All-Star Game itself just to rest his aching knee. But when Golden State returned home from the break, his knee was still not ready. The team pulled back his workouts and started another 10-day re-evaluation period.
The injury dragged through multiple checkpoints after that. Each time a return seemed imminent, a setback followed. Curry called the timeline weird and unpredictable, pointing to daily improvements alongside moments of stagnation. The Warriors chose to be cautious every step of the way, refusing to rush their franchise player back.
Fun fact: The Milwaukee Bucks once refused to trade for Curry because their medical staff did not believe his ankles would hold up in the NBA. Golden State kept him and built a dynasty around him instead.
Where he stands right now
The Warriors said Curry made strong progress in his recovery, and he has since advanced through 5-on-5 scrimmage work. He is now expected to return today against the Houston Rockets.
Curry returned to on-court work and progressed to full 5-on-5 scrimmages, a major step in his recovery.
Fun fact: Curry has appeared in only 39 of the Warriors’ 77 games this season before going down. Even a partial season from him represents the team’s entire offensive foundation.
The numbers tell a harsh story
Without Curry, the Warriors have been almost unrecognizable. The numbers are difficult to look at. Curry was averaging 27.2 points and 4.8 assists per game while shooting 39.1% from three-point range before the injury. He was the team’s engine and its entire offensive identity. Then he went down on January 30, and the results that followed were simply hard to watch for any Warriors fan.
Golden State went 8-15 across his first 23 absences. The team fell from a comfortable position all the way down to the 10th seed in the Western Conference. They lost games they should have won. The gap between the Warriors with Curry and the Warriors without him is not small.
A season defined by injuries
Curry’s knee is just one chapter in a brutal injury saga that has defined Golden State’s 2025-26 season. Jimmy Butler tore his ACL in January against his former team, the Miami Heat. Moses Moody suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee on March 23 during a fast-break dunk in Dallas. Both are done for the season. Golden State lost two of its top contributors within months.
Al Horford missed extended time with a right soleus strain, while Seth Curry, Quinten Post, and De’Anthony Melton also missed games because of injury or recovery issues. Golden State has dealt with significant roster absences across the season.
What Kerr has said
Kerr was very direct about what Curry’s return needs to look like. He said the team would not bring Curry back only for the play-in game and that he would need regular-season games first. Kerr used the word runway. That single word captured everything the Warriors are now working toward.
Kerr has also been telling his players to build strong habits and stay well prepared. He knows a play-in berth is locked in. He understands what Curry’s return could mean for the group. But he has refused to overpromise after a timeline that has already shifted multiple times this season.
What a Curry return would mean
Curry’s scoring gravity alone opens the floor for everyone around him. Draymond Green, Brandin Podziemski, and Gui Santos all become more dangerous when defenses must truly account for a three-point threat from anywhere. The Warriors are simply a different team with him on the floor. That is not an opinion.
The play-in tournament is very much within reach if Curry returns healthy and finds his rhythm quickly. He has delivered in every high-pressure moment this league has ever offered. Even four or five regular-season games could be enough runway to build the momentum Golden State so desperately needs right now.
TL;DR
- Stephen Curry is nearing his return after missing 27 straight games with patellofemoral pain syndrome and bone bruising in his right knee.
- Curry has already completed 5-on-5 scrimmage work and is expected to return to game action today against Houston.
- Without Curry, Golden State went 9-18 during his 27-game absence and remained 10th in the Western Conference.
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This article was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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