Steve Kerr offered an encouraging update on Stephen Curry after the Golden State Warriors guard left Sunday’s open practice, three days before the team’s regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers.
Curry’s issue involved his right ankle. Initial reports from the practice had raised concern about his right knee, but the team’s subsequent clarification corrected that description.
Steph Curry limps off the court at open practice and he just went back to the locker room @NBCSWarriors
Real quiet in here now pic.twitter.com/cLEFcOwTGt
— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) October 18, 2026
Kerr said he spoke with Curry following practice.
Steve Kerr said he talked to Steph after practice and said “he’s fine.”
Kerr said it was an ankle tweak, not the knee. pic.twitter.com/i0UPFZdYsw— Nick Friedell (@NickFriedell) October 18, 2026
“He’s fine,” Kerr said.
The update was reassuring, although it did not amount to a formal announcement of Curry’s availability for Wednesday’s game in Los Angeles.
The distinction matters as the Lakers prepare for Golden State: The Warriors have identified the area Curry tweaked and shared his initial response, but have not established a recovery timetable in those comments.
Curry’s workload was already being managed before Sunday’s ankle tweak
Golden State had been taking a measured approach to Curry’s preparation well before the open-practice incident.
The Warriors were bringing Curry along more gradually and reducing some of his practice work. Kerr also raised the possibility that Curry could begin the season below roughly 32 minutes per game.
Warriors intentionally ramping Steph Curry up slower this year. Even scaling back his practice workload. Seeking balance between finding his rhythm + making sure he can handle the rigors of a season. Steve Kerr said it's possible he starts the year lower than ~32 min pitch count.
— Danny Emerman (@DannyEmerman) October 15, 2026
That was an existing workload discussion, not a restriction announced in response to Sunday’s ankle issue. It gives the Lakers relevant background when considering how Golden State might distribute its backcourt minutes, but it should not be treated as a new injury designation.
Curry had explained his priorities earlier in the week in an interview with Luca Evans of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Speaking Tuesday for a story published Thursday, Curry emphasized staying available over a long season rather than reaching peak form immediately.
“But I’d rather (play) 65, whatever, games, 70 games, with the big picture in mind,” Curry told the Chronicle.
Those comments preceded Sunday’s incident and describe his broader preparation plan. They were not a response to the ankle tweak.
Charles Bassey also receives injury update before Lakers matchup
Curry was not the only Warrior whose health Kerr addressed Sunday. Kerr described Charles Bassey as day-to-day with knee tendinitis.
Bassey’s status is relevant to a frontcourt arrangement Golden State had just tested. In Friday’s preseason finale, the Warriors started him alongside Draymond Green, with Curry, Brandin Podziemski and Yaxel Lendeborg completing the group.
Kerr wanted another look at Green playing with a center. The coach planned for the starters to play approximately 25 to 30 minutes.
Earlier in the week, Kerr had leaned toward a smaller lineup against the Lakers, featuring Green at center alongside Curry, Podziemski, Gui Santos and Lendeborg.
Kerr’s earlier explanation also addressed the bench rotation. He said bringing Al Horford off the bench could help manage his minutes around a target of 20 per game, while allowing either Horford or Green to organize the defense for more of the game.
That gives the Lakers something specific to prepare for beyond the opening five: changes at center that can continue after Golden State makes its first substitutions.
The two groups illustrate the alternatives Kerr has been evaluating. Friday’s lineup placed a conventional center next to Green; the earlier preferred arrangement made Green the center and included Santos on the wing.
Neither preseason choice, by itself, confirms Wednesday’s starters.
Bassey’s day-to-day designation adds another consideration to that decision. Kerr’s Sunday update did not rule him out against Los Angeles or announce a replacement starting lineup.
Lakers have their own availability question with Collin Sexton
Los Angeles is also waiting for a clearer picture of its backcourt options.
In his Thursday update on Collin Sexton, Lakers coach JJ Redick said the guard had participated in drills but had not resumed live work while recovering from a lower-leg injury. Redick described him as progressing toward opening night.
That report documented a step in Sexton’s preparation, rather than clearance for the opener. It also came before Sunday’s Curry news, so the two updates should not be read as a simultaneous injury report for Wednesday.
For the Lakers, Sexton’s eventual availability will help determine the guard combinations Redick can use around Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves.
For Golden State, Curry’s response to Sunday’s ankle tweak and Bassey’s knee issue are now part of the final preparations.
The latest word on Curry is encouraging. The next meaningful update will be whether the Warriors report any effect on his practice participation or availability against Los Angeles.
