Warriors Bad News on Injuries Keep Coming After Curry Setback
Early-season injuries continue to derail the Golden State Warriors. During Tuesday’s win against the Phoenix Suns, Jimmy Butler III left for the locker room early in the second quarter with lower-back soreness, an injury that could sideline him for several games. To make matters worse, Stephen Curry revealed he was dealing with a severe case of the flu after the game and will likely miss Wednesday’s contest against the Sacramento Kings.
Besides Curry (flu) and Butler (lower back), the Warriors are dealing with injuries to Al Horford (toe) and De’Anthony Melton (ACL sprain) in the early part of the season.
After Tuesday’s game, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr confirmed that Curry won’t suit up against the Kings. As for Butler, John Dickinson of 95.7 The Game San Francisco noted that Butler is also questionable to play against the Pacific Division rivals.
Steph Curry will miss tomorrow’s game in Sacramento, Steve Kerr said. He labeled Jimmy Butler as questionable.
Warriors Injury Woes
“I don’t care what the doctors say,” Kerr said of Curry’s flu-like symptoms, via ESPN’s Anthony Slater. “We got to get him some rest. He’s not playing tomorrow.”
Kerr also addressed Butler’s injury. The 36-year-old veteran star was originally listed as questionable for the game against the Suns, but warmed up on the practice court 90 minutes before tipoff and was cleared to play. However, he appeared in just 14 minutes and missed four of his five shots before returning to the locker room.
“He felt like he could go,” Kerr said of Butler. “Then he tweaked it [his back] a little bit.”
Steve Kerr on Steph Curry, Draymond Green, and Jimmy Butler: “I could tell on the roadtrip that all three of those guys looked tired. Very unusual schedule to start the year. None of them had missed a game and I think they just ran into a little bit of a wall.”
Are the Warriors Too Old?
It’s somewhat concerning that the three oldest members of the Warriors roster — Curry, Butler and Horford — are dealing with various ailments early into the season.
In the lead-up to the 2025-26 campaign, many analysts believed that age would eventually be the Warriors’ detriment in their pursuit of a championship. Even Kerr admitted that he has to be extra-careful managing the minutes of Curry, Butler, Horford, Draymond Green and Horford — to keep them fresh for the playoffs.
“That’s always a factor with an older group,” Kerr said before the season.
“…The pace, the mileage these guys are putting on their bodies with the 3-point spacing. That’s why we have a whole performance team to track that and to help us monitor minutes. Guys are going to be needing to take games off. Older guys tend to get banged up a little bit more.
“So we have to be able to win games without some of our key guys this year. That’s already been something that we discussed as a team. I feel really confident with the young guys that we have, that they can step up and fill shoes when those shoes are empty.”
Another concern for the Warriors is Horford’s inability to play back-to-back games. The former NBA champion has already missed three of the Warriors’ eight games thus far, and is likely to sit out games for the rest of the season periodically.
The Warriors (5-3) could miss out on a top-4 playoff seeding due to the makeup of their old roster, especially considering the might of the Western Conference.
Canucks recall top prospect Tom Willander
Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK shared on Monday that the Vancouver Canucks are calling up top defensive prospect Tom Willander. The 20-year-old had been assigned to the AHL just two days ago
Since being sent down, Willander appeared in one game with Abbotsford (AHL), adding an assist, now up to two points in his first five North American professional games. Drafted 11th overall in the 2023 draft by Vancouver, Willander is widely considered the club’s No. 1 prospect and one of the top defensive prospects in the league.
Despite having limited professional experience so far, the Swede spent the past two seasons starring for the NCAA’s Boston University, becoming acquainted with the North American game. Before his time in college, Willander made two appearances for Rögle BK of the SHL as a teenager.
A smooth-skating right-hander at 6-foot-1, Willander’s ability in his own end could be NHL-ready. The offense may take some time, but not many have his acumen at this phase in their careers with his quickness and agility. Vancouver could call on Willander to make his awaited debut partly due to necessity. With Quinn Hughes
Although it may seem like a forgone conclusion considering the circumstances, fans will watch closely for updates on whether the prospect will make his debut Tuesday or not.
