3 ripple effects for Golden State Warriors from Stephen Curry injury

The Golden State Warriors’ record has the potential to get much worse following Stephen Curry’s hand injury.

The Golden State Warriors came into this season eager to silence their critics. Yes, it’s rather odd that a team which had been to the NBA Finals in each of the last five seasons would actually have detractors.

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As absurd as it sounds, there were valid reasons to think that the Dubs’ reign had run its course. Kevin Durant bolted for the Brooklyn Nets. Shaun Livingston retired and former Finals MVP Andre Iguodala was no longer in the mix, either.

Not only were some expecting the Warriors to be left out of the championship contender discussion, there were some outlets that predicted they wouldn’t even be in the playoff picture. Again, this sounded downright absurd.

Then the season began, along with a harsh dose of reality.

The Dubs have dropped four of their first five games. That in itself is bad enough. However, the Warriors were dealt another vicious blow when two-time MVP Stephen Curry sustained a broken hand in the team’s recent 121-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 30.

After surgery on Friday, Curry will be out at least three months before any thoughts of a return to the lineup. Bearing that in mind, here’s a look a three ripple effects from this devastating development.

3. Which role players will see an uptick in their minutes?

Whenever a star player goes down with an injury, “next man up” is often the mantra that comes into play. With in mind, here’s a look at a few of the players who should see more action on the floor with Stephen Curry out of the rotation.

Let’s start with the team’s first-round pick in this year’s draft, Jordan Poole. Poole was averaging 8.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 23 minutes per contest after the game in which Curry was injured.

Poole was temporarily inserted into the starting lineup in the Golden State Warriors’ 134-123 win over the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 28. In that contest, he scored 13 points in 26 minutes of action. Poole was back in the lineup in the hole left by Curry in Golden State’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, scoring 20 points in 29 minutes

Poole hadn’t shot the ball at an efficient clip, as he had connected on just 31.8 percent of his attempts from 3 and was shooting just 22.5 percent from the field overall heading into Friday’s game. He might have had a breakthrough after going 7-for-13 overall and 4-for-7 from deep against the Spurs.

Another player expected to see more minutes is Ky Bowman — who went undrafted.

On the positve side, after totaling just five points through the first three games, Bowman contributed 10 points to go along with three steals in the Warriors’ 121-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns. As is the case with Poole, though, Bowman isn’t shooting the ball at an efficient rate (25.0 percent overall).

While he is shooting 33.3 percent from long range, that percentage is based on a meager sample size of just thtrr attempts. With Bowman expected to see time at the backup point guard spot behind D’Angelo Russell, the Warriors are hopeful that he will be more effective in a larger role.

Last, but not least, is Damion Lee. The third year shooting guard is coming off a season in which he averaged 4.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per contest. This season, however, Lee’s numbers are up in several categories, as he has compiled averages of 10.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in 17.2 minutes per outing.

His best outing to date came against the Pelicans. In that contest, Lee posted an impressive double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds.

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Unlike the other two players that have been mentioned, Lee is shooting the ball at a respectable 50.0 percent clip overall and is also hitting 50.0 percent from 3-point range. In other words, he has the potential to be a viable floor spacer for a team that will have limited options from an offensive standpoint.

Even if this group does manage to meet or exceed expectations, it will be difficult to replace a player with Curry’s skill set. Here’s to hoping for a speedy recovery and that the Warriors are somehow in contention for a playoff spot when he does return to the lineup, although that probably won’t be the case.