The TD Garden floor was empty, the crowd hours away, and the game still a distant thought. But for about 30 minutes on Wednesday afternoon, the basketball world stopped to watch Stephen Curry shoot.
It wasn’t a game. It wasn’t even a scrimmage. It was just Curry, assistant coach Bruce Fraser, and a rack of basketballs. But for Golden State Warriors fans, it was the most beautiful thing they’ve seen in weeks.
Curry, who hasn’t played since late January due to a lingering knee issue, went through an extended shooting workout in Boston ahead of Wednesday night’s matchup with the Celtics. According to Nick Friedell of The Athletic, Curry spent about 30 minutes working on his shot, moving around the floor with a fluidity that suggested he’s finally turning the corner.
Golden State Warriors, Steph Curry
“Steph went through about 30 minutes worth of shooting work with assistant coach Bruce Fraser,” Friedell reported. “He spent a few minutes talking to Rick Celebrini after that. He definitely looks like he’s feeling better moving around the floor.”
For a team that has stumbled through a 33-35 season, that’s the best news they could have asked for.
The Shams Update
Shortly after Friedell’s report, ESPN’s Shams Charania provided the context that Warriors fans have been waiting for.
According to Charania, the Warriors are “cautiously optimistic” that Curry will return to the lineup later this month. His workout in Boston was described as “strong,” and the team is hopeful that the 38-year-old superstar can make it back before the regular season ends.
That timeline matters. The Warriors have 14 games remaining. They’re currently the ninth seed in the Western Conference, one game behind the eighth-seeded Clippers. The play-in tournament is inevitable. The question is whether they’ll have to win one game or two to secure a playoff spot.
With Curry, the odds shift dramatically.
The Play-In Math
Let’s be real: the Warriors aren’t winning the championship this year. That dream died somewhere between Jimmy Butler’s ACL tear and Curry’s extended absence. But that doesn’t mean the season is meaningless.
Golden State is guaranteed a spot in the play-in tournament. The bottom five teams in the West are too invested in lottery positioning to make a serious push. The Warriors’ fate is in their own hands.
If they can secure the seventh or eighth seed, they’ll need just one win to advance to the first round. If they fall to ninth or tenth, they’ll need two—and the second would come on the road against a higher-seeded team.
Curry’s return could be the difference between a quick exit and a fighting chance.
The Mirage of a Playoff Run
Even with Curry back, the Warriors aren’t contenders. The roster is depleted. Jimmy Butler is done for the season. The supporting cast is a patchwork of young players and veterans playing through injuries.
But here’s the thing about Curry: he doesn’t care about the odds.
At 38, with nothing left to prove and a legacy already secured, he still wants to compete. He still wants to be on the floor when the games matter. He still believes, against all logic, that something special could happen.
That’s not delusion. That’s competitiveness. That’s the mindset that made him a two-time MVP and a four-time champion.
The Bigger Picture
Curry’s return isn’t just about this season. It’s about next season. It’s about showing that he can still play at a high level, that his body can hold up, that there’s still magic left in those 38-year-old legs.
The Warriors’ championship window isn’t slammed shut yet. If Jimmy Butler can return at the midway point next year and look like the player he was before the injury, if the young pieces can develop, if Curry can stay healthy—there’s a path.
But first, Curry has to get back on the floor. First, he has to prove that the knee is healthy, that the shot is still there, that the gravity hasn’t faded.
Wednesday’s workout was a step in that direction.
The Bottom Line
The Warriors are 33-35. They’re ninth in the West. They’re likely headed for a play-in game that could end their season in 48 minutes.
But Steph Curry is coming back.
And as long as that’s true, there’s reason to watch. There’s reason to hope. There’s reason to believe that maybe, just maybe, the magic isn’t completely gone.
“Hopefully, in the meantime, we can enjoy at least a little bit of Steph Curry magic,” one observer noted.
If today’s news is any sign, that magic is on the way.