Steph Curry is on track to be in the lineup when the Warriors open the season Wednesday at the Lakers, but the rest of Golden State’s injury picture is still a little messy.
Brandin Podziemski missed practice for the second straight day Tuesday, with coach Steve Kerr saying the fourth-year guard is questionable after tweaking his back on Sunday. That’s a notable wrinkle for a player who just signed a five-year extension and became one of the team’s steadiest presences last season, when he played all 82 games in a roster that was anything but stable.
Charles Bassey is also questionable after sitting out with right knee tendinitis. If he can’t go, Kerr said the Warriors would piece together the center minutes with Draymond Green, Al Horford and rookies Yaxel Lendeborg and Graham Ike. Kristaps Porzingis remains out indefinitely because of an undisclosed health issue.
“Every game will be a little different depending on who is available … but we feel like we have a lot of depth to work with,” Kerr said.
Curry, meanwhile, appears to be in much better shape than he did over the weekend. He left Sunday’s open practice after spraining his ankle and set off plenty of concern in the process. But he returned to practice over the last two days, and Kerr said Curry is “ready to go” and not expected to face any minutes restrictions.
The Warriors have already been managing Curry carefully this offseason. He played just 23 minutes in the preseason finale after the team adjusted his routine to help preserve his right knee for the 82-game season. Kerr said that approach will continue for Curry and for 36-year-old Green, especially with Golden State scheduled for 15 back-to-back sets.
“It will be week to week, but we absolutely have to be mindful of our more experienced players in that regard,” Kerr said.
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