Not much has gone according to plan for the defending champion Golden State Warriors this season.
They began the year having to deal with the fallout from Draymond Green punching Jordan Poole during practice. Poor performances from the team ensued and now the Warriors are below .500 almost a third of the way into their campaign.
But the latest bit of news that broke today is surely the most concerning yet.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported superstar point guard Stephen Curry is expected to miss multiple weeks after suffering a shoulder injury during a Wednesday night game against the Indiana Pacers.
Golden State's Steph Curry is expected to miss "a few weeks" with his left shoulder injury, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 15, 2022
Curry’s unfortunate injury will likely keep him out until at least the beginning of the new year. Golden State will have to do its best to stack wins and stem the tide to avoid falling farther out of the playoff picture in Curry’s absence.
Steph Curry to the locker room during the timeout favoring that left arm. pic.twitter.com/zZtpjFe8Kt
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 15, 2022
One player whose stock could drop is Draymond Green. A lot of what makes him so great on the offensive end is that he is a connector. He plays the role of floor general and plays very well off of the always-moving, never-missing Stephen Curry. Pay attention to Green’s under when betting on his assists and points props.
However, there are players who’ll benefit statistically from Curry’s absence, and it’s obvious who those guys are — Jordan Poole and Klay Thompson.
Whether it’s a part of the game plan or not, both Poole and Thompson will surely take on a bigger offensive role in helping the Warriors stay afloat during this time.
It may be a good idea to look at both players’ projected points totals in these upcoming games and consider taking the overs on those, as well as the 3-point props.