Steph Curry is closing in on his return to the Warriors' lineup, but it appears he won't be 100 percent when he steps on the court in a few days.
While Curry's broken left hand has healed, the nerve issue in that hand hasn't gone away and could linger for a while, according to his personal trainer, Brandon Payne.
"I don't think there's any real risk of re-injury to the hand," Payne said on NBC Sports Bay Area's "SNC: Warriors Edition" before Thursday's game against the Lakers. "I think, as far as the healing, that's all going really well. You mentioned the nerve issue. We're still kind of working through that, and that's something that's going to progressively improve over time. It's not all the way back to where he wants it to be right now, but it has gotten better since the surgery and since the initial recovery period after the surgery. So, he is feeling a little bit better in his hand now that we're getting closer for when it's time for him to play. And that will continue to improve. The doctors have told us that could take up to a year to fully come back.
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"We anticipate that getting better. We've also done some research with some virtual reality, working on his hands, working to retrain the communication from the nerves in the hands, from his fingertips to his brain, back and forth, so we'll be doing some of that in the offseason."
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The Warriors are expected to release an update on Curry on Friday. Reports earlier in the week indicated that the two-time NBA MVP would return Sunday against the Washington Wizards. But coach Steve Kerr downplayed that timeline after practice Wednesday, saying he believed Curry needed more scrimmages before he'd be deemed ready.
Whether or not Curry returns Sunday or later in the week, the Warriors are excited to get the face of the franchise back in the lineup. With the nerve issue still present, it might take him some time to get re-calibrated on the court.