The Warriors provide an update on the star as Kerr prepares for the toughest decision ever

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has provided a positive update on superstar guard Stephen Curry after the two-time MVP missed two of the last three preseason games due to a finger injury.

Curry initially jammed his finger in the second quarter of the Warriors' third preseason game against the Sacramento Kings last week, causing the 36-year-old to miss the following game against the Detroit Pistons. Curry returned to play 28 minutes against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday, but missed Friday's final preseason game after reinjuring himself in practice.

According to ESPN's Kendra Andrews, Kerr revealed that his team had to go through a long battle on Sunday to get Curry going as much as possible. That's a positive sign for Curry's availability for Wednesday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers, as Golden State is expected to have a full roster for the season opener.

Curry only played 73 minutes in the preseason, well below his best. The 10-time All-Star averaged 11.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in his 18.1 minutes per game while shooting just 36.6% from the floor and 28% from three-point range. range shot.

Curry's form didn't hurt the Warriors, who finished the preseason with an undefeated record of 6-0, including back-to-back wins over the Lakers that culminated in a 58-point rout on Friday.

Preseason form has made Kerr what he described to Andrews “The hardest decision I've ever had when it comes to who plays off the bench.” Golden State has 13 legitimate rotation players, and that doesn't even include Gui Santos, who actually finished a game once last season.

Perhaps Kerr's comment also signals that he had a much easier time deciding on a starting lineup. The Warriors started all four of the last two games with Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis, while De'Anthony Melton replaced Curry in Friday's game.

If the Curry/Wiggins/Kuminga/Green/Jackson-Davis combination actually starts, that will only increase the difficulty Kerr is talking about with regards to the bench. As many as six guards/wingers could be worth a minute – Brandin Podziemski, Melton, Buddy Hield, Moses Moody, Gary Payton II and Lindy Waters III.

Waters is unlikely to be included despite a very strong preseason, while Moody and Payton could compete for a rotation role. Veterans Kyle Anderson and Kevon Looney are also expected to play reasonable minutes off the bench.

Wednesday's game begins at 7:00 p.m. PT at the Moda Center in Portland.