The Golden State Warriors are a shell of their former selves. After starting the season with aspirations of making a deep postseason run, here they are, set to play in the play-in tournament.
They no longer have All-Star wingman Jimmy Butler and promising guard Moses Moody , both of whom suffered season-ending knee injuries. Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield aren't on the team either, having been traded to Atlanta for Kristaps Porzingis . Draymond Green has, for most of the season, played like he's 40, not 35.
However, the Warriors will welcome the return of megastar and franchise cornerstone Stephen Curry , who will enter the lineup for the first time in two months after recovering from runner's knee.
And according to former NBA champion turned media personality Iman Shumpert , anytime the Chef is on the floor for Golden State, they are a squad that other teams shouldn't mess around with.
To be completely clear, nobody is predicting the Warriors would go all the way to the promised land and win it all; with Butler tearing his ACL last January, they just do not have another reliable scoring option. However, Shump believes that having Curry in uniform and playing at his best brings hope to a franchise that desperately needs it this season.
"Anytime you have Steph Curry, you got a chance," Shump said on SportsCenter.
"When you get into the playoffs, the only thing you need is certain components of a basketball club, right? You got to be able to defend. You're going to have to—in this new league—you got to be able to make threes," he continued.
"Luckily, you have guys on this team that can make threes. You can trust behind Steph Curry. He's already given everybody the blueprint on how it should go."
Curry has only played 39 games this season and has not suited up for the Warriors since January 30. But when he has, the 6'2" guard has remained prolific, averaging 27.2 points and shooting 39.1 percent from long distance.
Still, Curry said this injury had him perplexed as he initially believed he wouldn't be sidelined for long.
"I thought I was going to be out a week," Curry said . "Ten days max. [But] every time I got on the court or tried to push it in that first month, there was always a reaction. You just knew it wasn't healing as fast as you thought."
The Warriors are guaranteed a spot in the play-in tournament, though it remains to be seen which team they'll face first. However, Shumpert said that a Warriors team that has not pressure on its shoulders could be a tough out.
"I think that they become dangerous knowing that they're not having any pressure on them," Iman surmised. "They don't have to win. They don't have to make—there's not going to be a disappointment if they can't make sure that they get to the next round."
"So, they're really out here to ruin other people's dreams. He here to ruin hopes and dreams, man," he emphasized. "I think that when Steph comes back, it's a danger for the rest of the guys because even if you felt like you were solidified, now you feel like, 'Hey, this guy really can mix it up.'"
An animal is at its most ferocious when it is backed into a corner with nowhere else to go. That is the spot the Warriors are in right now. But with Curry back in the fold, it's a certainty that they will be scratching and clawing until an opposing team actually puts them down.
Related: Stephen Curry named his favorite player in 2014: "My dad would probably be mad"
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 6, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
