Forget The Rockets, Stephen Curry's Ankle Is The Warriors' Biggest Problem

Stephen Curry injured his right ankle Thursday night against the San Antonio Spurs and had to leave the game. The two-time MVP’s recurring ankle issues could be the Golden State Warriors’ biggest obstacle in the way of winning another NBA title.

Here’s what happened Thursday night:

Here’s still of the injury:

Since early December, Curry has now injured his right ankle on four occasions. Anthony Slater of The Athletic has broken the injuries down:

This is a serious, recurring problem. Remember, Curry had surgery on his right ankle to repair torn ligaments in May of 2011. That came about because of repeated sprained ankles during the 2010-11 season. Then during the 2011-12 season, he sprained his ankle again several times, then had surgery again in April of 2012. During the 2011-12 season, Curry only played in 26 games.

Since then, Curry’s ankles have been nothing more than a minor problem as he’s risen to become one of the NBA’s elite players. This season, those issues have popped back up and become an issue. He’s missed 15 games so far this year and is likely set to miss at least a few more after this latest incident.

The Warriors have a lot standing in the way of winning another NBA championship. LeBron James looks re-energized thanks to the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers, and the Toronto Raptors are surging in the Eastern Conference. The Houston Rockets are destroying all comers in the Western Conference.

While those are serious issues, Curry’s ankle is far more worrisome. He is irreplaceable for Golden State. Kevin Durant can be the team’s alpha dog, but without Curry, the Warriors would be reduced to a Big 3 from their completely unguardable Big 4.

Warriors fans should be praying Curry’s right ankle is fine and stays that way.