The Golden State Warriors recently suffered a frustrating loss to the Utah Jazz, a defeat that left them trailing the Los Angeles Clippers in the tightly contested Western Conference standings.
However, despite the setback, there was a sense of relief inside the locker room.
That optimism came from the long-awaited return of veteran guard Seth Curry.
After missing three months with a painful sciatica nerve issue, the sharpshooter finally stepped back onto the court, making just his third appearance for the Warriors since the injury sidelined him earlier in the season.
For Curry, the comeback represented the end of a difficult and mentally draining rehabilitation process.
Sciatica, which involves irritation or compression of the sciatic nerve, can cause severe pain radiating from the lower back down through the legs. In his case, the discomfort became so severe that it prevented him from moving normally for weeks.
“It’s good to get out there, get my feet wet, and try to contribute in whatever way I can,” Curry told reporters after his return.
“I don’t know exactly when I just popped up one more. I couldn’t move at all. It was like a month’s time where I couldn’t like, I really just couldn’t move. I was just laying at home. And then just once the pain went away, I was able to rehab and try to get all my movement back, but it’s been tough.”
The 35-year-old explained that the injury initially seemed minor. What started as a typical backache gradually escalated into a much more serious problem that forced him to halt all basketball activities.
“I just had a minor pain in my back,” Curry said. “It just kept getting worse and worse and then it hit a tipping point.”
During his absence, the hardest part wasn’t simply the physical pain, it was watching his team struggle without being able to help.
The Warriors have endured an inconsistent stretch this season, and Curry admitted that being unable to contribute from the sidelines added to the frustration of his recovery process.
Stephen Curry’s timeline adds uncertainty for Golden State
While Seth Curry has now returned, the Warriors are still waiting on another crucial piece: franchise star Stephen Curry.
The two-time NBA MVP has been sidelined since January 30 due to a runner’s knee condition, leaving the team without its primary offensive engine for an extended period.
According to the organization, Stephen Curry was scheduled for re-evaluation roughly 10 days after the Warriors issued their update on March 2.
At that point, he had not yet resumed on-court basketball activities, raising concerns among fans about how long the recovery process could take.
Despite those concerns, the Warriors appear determined to avoid rushing their superstar back too soon.
NBA insider Brett Siegel reported that the team is taking a cautious approach to ensure Curry is fully healthy before returning to competition.
“That is why there is no rush to bring him back, and that is why sources say the earliest he would be back, but unlikely to return until after this date, is at the start of the Warriors‘ six-game road trip against the New York Knicks on Sunday, March 15,” Siegel wrote.
Until that happens, the Warriors must find ways to remain competitive without their most important player.
The numbers show how difficult that task has been. Following the loss to the Jazz, Golden State held a 9-16 record in games without Stephen Curry.
The encouraging sign for the team is that Seth Curry looked effective in his limited minutes during his return. In just a short stint against the Jazz, he recorded 13 points and three assists while shooting 4-of-6 from the field.
He was also one of the few Warriors players to finish the game with a positive net differential.
As his conditioning improves, Seth Curry is expected to see increased playing time, giving Golden State another scoring option in the backcourt.
His return, combined with the eventual comeback of Stephen Curry, could help the team regain stability during the final stretch of the season.
In a competitive Western Conference packed with contenders, the Warriors will need contributions from their entire roster if they hope to remain in the Play-In race, and eventually chase another postseason run.
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