SAN FRANCISCO ― The Golden State Warriors will only go as far as their franchise leader Stephen Curry will take them.
That is partially why it was important for him to ink a deal to return to the Warriorsfor the next year or two. Now that the dust has settled and the ink is dry, an area of focus for Curry will be his availability.
Curry missed 39 games for the Warriors last year with knee issues. Entering his 18th season, he's not getting any younger. He spent the offseason nursing his knee through many rounds of golf during the summer, now he's ready for basketball.
"Knee is feeling great, ready to go. No issues at all. There is a management element of it for sure where you just have to be mindful of everything that you're doing in practice, games,
preparation," Curry said. "We haven't talked about the game schedule yet or anything like that where I'm kind of getting too far ahead of myself, but for training camp and the preseason schedule and getting myself into shape and ready to go, there's no limitations at all."
Curry is more confident going into the year, he said, after becoming stronger and understanding that he doesn't have 18-year-old knees anymore, let alone 28-year-old ligaments.
"So I'm excited to get out there and hoop. I feel like I've built a really good foundation over the summer to be in a much better position up until, what, November last year, it wasn't really any kind of signs or symptoms, but I feel a lot stronger and more understanding of what I'm dealing with," he said. "That gives me a lot of confidence going into the year."
Steph Curry on Warriors expectations
As the attention turns to the 2026-27 season, training camp is set to get underway. The internal expectations of a championship haven't changed for Curry, but there is a bit of realization that their odds aren't the same as they were a decade ago. Still, Curry and the Warriors embrace the challenge of finding out what the team is made of, he said.
"Embracing the challenge of doing exactly what coach said is what the theme of this training camp really is," Curry said. "Going back to last year, talking about obviously championship mentality is always a part of who you are, but not putting that type of pressure on ourselves on Day 1. Let's figure out what good basketball looks like for this team, and we'll figure that out as we go."
External expectations say the Warriors won't make the playoffs and Curry wasn't enthused at the idea.
"That's how bad it is? To make the playoffs? It went from championship to ... that's what I think about that. Damn," Curry said as he walked off laughing.
Don't be surprised if it becomes fuel for Curry and the Warriors as the season goes on.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How the mighty have fallen: Steph Curry reacts to Warriors expectations
