4 players the Warriors need to step up in Steph Curry’s absence

Stephen Curry will be out for the foreseeable future after partially dislocating his left shoulder Wednesday night while trying to yank the ball out of Jalen Smith’s hands as he went up for a layup.

It doesn’t appear he’ll need surgery, but a timeline for his rehabilitation process hasn’t been shared by the team. Some reports have indicated he’ll miss at least two weeks and could be out for a month.

The Warriors find themselves in quite a predicament. Even with Curry playing at an MVP-caliber level and averaging 30 points per game, the reigning champions have looked more like a play-in team than contenders through the first two months of the season.

The Warriors have seen a drastic drop-off in production this season during the non-Curry minutes. They have a team-best 118.9 offensive rating when Curry’s on the floor and a team-worst 99.9 when he’s off.

As of Friday morning, the Warriors are 14-15, including a paltry 2-12 on the road, and sit at 10th in the Western Conference standings.

It’ll take a collective effort to not only keep this team afloat during Curry’s absence but also improve their spot in the standings. Here are four players who need to pick up the slack.

Jordan Poole

Jordan Poole went on a tear toward the end of last season, dropping 20-plus points in 17 consecutive games in March and April. He especially thrived in an increase while doing his best Curry impression with the Warriors star sidelined for the final 12 games of the regular season with a foot injury. During that span, Poole averaged 25.8 points, 6.2 assists and five rebounds.

Poole has been wildly inconsistent this season. His shot selection has been questionable at times, with the 23-year-old not always taking what defenders are giving him.

“The biggest thing with Jordan that we’ve been trying to work on with him is just to slow down,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters Wednesday. “He’s got so much abilities… He’s so gifted, he’s so fast and shifty that he frequently is getting himself into trouble just by being in a rush.”

The Warriors need Poole to slow down and potentially recreate the magic of last two months of the 2021-22 regular season when he caught fire and was the best 3-point shooter in the league.

Klay Thompson

Klay Thompson has asked for patience as he works to return to the lights-out shooter he was before his knee and Achilles tendon betrayed him.

Thompson got off to a slow start this season after he entered training camp having not played a five-on-five basketball game since the NBA Finals. Some of his early season struggles were due to him trying to force his shot rather than play within the flow of the game.

He turned a corner after a conversation with Draymond Green, who told him to be patient and trust his teammates. Thompson has started to heat up as of late, making 44.2% of his 10.4 3-point attempts since Nov. 20.

But now is the time for him to turn it up a notch.

Andrew Wiggins

Overshadowed by the Curry’s news Thursday was that Andrew Wiggins was given the go-ahead by the team’s training staff to return to practice and shootaround as he’s continued to make progress from his strained thigh muscle injury. He’ll miss his sixth straight game Friday in Philadelphia, but could make his return to games — which will be determined on his continued improvement — at some point during this road trip.

When he does come back, the Warriors will need him to pick up where he left off.

Wiggins was the second-best player on the team, posting 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.2 assists while usually taking the most challenging defensive assignments each night. He was also shooting a career-best 51.1% from the field and making 45% of his 6.8 3-point attempts per game.

Moses Moody

Moses Moody has long been praised for his teammates and coaches as being wise beyond his years. But the 20-year-old has been on the fringe of the rotation in recent weeks and seen his minutes fluctuate.

Costly turnovers and fouling too much are some of the reasons Moody hasn’t played consistent minutes. But he’s also been victim of the numbers games, coach Steve Kerr previously said.

Moody has been playing better as of late and took full advantage of his most recent opportunity. He provided a key spark off the bench in Wednesday’s loss to the Pacers. He didn’t check in until the 7:37 mark of the second quarter but earned more minutes as the night went on. He finished with 13 points and made five of his six field goal attempts, including two 3s.

With Curry sidelined, expect Moody to see an increased role. He seems ready for the challenge.