Stephen Curry will not have surgery, out indefinitely with left shoulder subluxation
The Golden State Warriors may have to make do without Stephen Curry for the time being. An MRI showed a left shoulder subluxation — a partial dislocation — the team announced Thursday, and a timeline for his return will be announced in the coming days.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Curry is expected to miss "a few weeks." Curry suffered a labral injury that will be evaluated in two weeks, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported.
Curry told reporters Friday that surgery was ruled out after the MRI, but that he needs the pain to subside before working on reestablishing his strength and mobility. A recovery timeline from surgery would have been at least four months, which would have sidelined him through the remainder of the regular season. He said he will need to manage the injury once he returns.
Here’s Steph Curry on his shoulder injury. Said the fact that no surgery was a huge relief. Has to wait out the pain before more extensive rehab. Front end of this healing process will be slower than back end. pic.twitter.com/awQD5WYE4Q
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 16, 2022
How Steph Curry injured his off-shooting shoulder
Curry injured his shoulder during Wednesday night's game against the Indiana Pacers. It looked like he felt something after he tried to strip the ball away from a Pacers player with his left arm. Curry immediately started clutching his shoulder and appeared to be in pain, then left for the locker room. The Warriors later announced that he would not return.
Stephen shoulder pic.twitter.com/iom7hNGoAB
— That's a highlight (@ClipIt_NBA) December 15, 2022
Following the game, head coach Steve Kerr said that Curry was in good spirits despite the injury and would get an MRI of his shoulder on Thursday.
The Warriors are 14-15 this season and currently sit in 10th place in the Western Conference and in a play-in tournament spot.
That's not quite what fans and analysts expected from the Warriors after they took home the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy last season, but Curry has been doing what he can to keep them afloat. He's averaged 29.6 points, 6.8 assists and 6.6 rebounds per game this season while shooting 43.2% from deep. When he left the game on Wednesday, which ended up a 125-119 Warriors loss, Curry had 38 points on 11-of-19 shooting with seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals.
