NBA analyst reflects on the timing of Steph Curry's return to Golden State Warriors setup
Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry makes his return from injury on Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns. With Curry's return marking a potential shift in the Warriors' season, former NBA champion Festus Ezeli highlighted the importance of the superstar's return.
Having faced severe injury issues this season, the Dubs have been in a rather unfavorable position.
Things started looking up for the Warriors when Andrew Wiggins made his return from injury in the team's previous game. However, Tuesday night's game sees the return of someone who is even more crucial to the Warriors' schemes.
After suffering a shoulder injury midway through December, Steph Curry made his long-awaited return to the game.
Considering the impact and influence he had on the Warriors' offense, Golden State struggled to get off the ground without him. At 20-20 on the back of a two-game losing streak, Golden State desperately needed to record some wins. In this regard, Curry's arrival comes at the perfect time, as per former Warriors player Festus Ezeli.
Speaking alongside Monte Poole during the NBC Sports Bay Area pre-game broadcast, Ezeli highlighted the importance of Curry's arrival at this juncture. He said:
"We're playing the Phoenix Suns. They're playing without their superstar Devin Booker and what he's meant to that team, same effect for every superstar. Steph Curry means a lot to this Warriors team. You just listed all the numbers. Those numbers are irreplaceable."
"But, for this Warriors team to go 5-2 at home, at this homestand, that means a lot. Because, if you look across the way, they've [Suns] lost six games in a row. That's a Phoenix Suns team that was just number one just a couple of weeks ago."
Monte Poole agreed that the Suns were in trouble. However, he added that this created the ideal situation for the Warriors. Poole then added:
"For Steph to come back in these conditions where there's a minutes restriction. Just to kind of give him a soft return in the sense that, this isn't the Celtics, this isn't the Grizzlies. This is the Suns. Not just the Suns, but the deeply, deeply compromised Suns."
Highlighting that due to the Suns' absolute lack of star players, Curry has the opportunity to play in a low-profile game and ease himself back into rhythm.
.@FestusEzeli and @MontePooleNBCS explain why Steph's return comes at a perfect time for the Dubs
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While Ezeli and Poole's understanding of the situation holds up to some extent, the Warriors haven't enjoyed the same low-profile matchup the hosts presented. After a crushing first-half showing, the Dubs will hope to reset their pace in the second.
Steph Curry struggles to get off the ground in the first-half
While Steph Curry's return to the lineup has innately positive connotations for the Golden State Warriors, the superstar has struggled to get going at home. After notching only five points in the first-half, the Dubs will remain concerned about their first-half performance.
In an unlikely turn of events, the Warriors will head into the second-half trailing by 14 points. Given that Steph's arrival has done great things for the team's morale, Golden State has not been able to settle into a solid offensive groove.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix Suns have been fairly efficient from beyond the arc. While both teams have struggled with consistency in scoring, the Suns have done a relatively better job of shutting down the perimeter.
With Klay Thompson leading the Warriors' scoring effort in the first half, the Dubs will hope to see the guard receive some support to help them win in the second.
Read: Stephen A. Smith explains why Steph Curry with Klay Thompson are still a threat to Western Conference