Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry poses for photos during the NBA basketball team’s media day, Monday, Sept. 28, 2026, in San Francisco.
Jeff Chiu/Associated Press
LAIE, HAWAII — There was magic to be found, after all, in Dalen Terry’s calves. They are sinewy, and springy, and once buoyed a 6-foot-6 Terry to an 18th-overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft. And Stephen Curry has most everything he could want in this world, but he doesn’t have that. Especially not anymore.
After wrapping a short shooting workout following the Golden State Warriors’ first practice of training camp Tuesday, assistant Hilton Armstrong begun to toss Curry a few lobs. It did not work. He clanked a couple. So Curry strolled to midcourt to give a high-five to Terry — a 24-year-old wing on a veteran training camp deal — and bent down to touch Terry’s calf. Then his own. Then Terry’s. Then his own. Transference.
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A bound and a leap later, and Curry sailed to the rim for a now-successful two-foot jam.
“It’s hard to not have a good day out here,” Curry told reporters later, smiling. “You wake up, and the air feels a little different. Sun hits a little different.”
Is Curry’s right knee rejuvenated? Not exactly. It’s still, well, juvenating. He used to say, as Curry told reporters at BYU-Hawaii Tuesday, that he could play in a game on Day One of camp. That was three or four years ago, and long before the garble of medical jargon — patellofemoral pain syndrome — that befell his knee last season.
Now, at 38, Curry structured his summer in such a way to be ramping up during camp rather than already bringing in heaps of mileage. And the effect, he hopes, will help him stave off the knee troubles that cost him two months of regular-season time in 2025-26.
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It, at least, has him feeling good enough to be attempting two-foot jams, despite recording a grand total of one dunk in his last seven seasons.
“This year, knowing what it is, taking advantage of the summer, having a very detailed plan to build my body, the foundation, give my knee a rest, and still be prepared for training camp — that was the biggest win, I felt, so far,” Curry said. “Even coming into Day One, being able to do everything, play the way that I expected to feel, and kinda check that box off. It’ll hopefully transition to a steady — the ebbs and flows of the season, where I know what I’m doing on recovery days, I know what I’m doing in practice, and stay sharp.”
In the last several months, a variety of medical experts have explained to the Chronicle that patellofemoral pain syndrome — sometimes referred to as “runner’s knee” — is manageable with a long-term plan. And the theme of Curry’s summer, as he explained, was “less is more.” Less time on his feet. Less pounding into hardwood. Less deceleration.
More, though, of different modalities, including one key ingredient: the underwater treadmill, an increasingly popular rehabilitation device for NBA players. The function, Curry said, was to maintain his “aerobic capacity” but reduce the wear on his joints from running on hard surfaces.
Klay Thompson, for one, made use of an underwater treadmill in his rehab from an Achilles tear years ago. And Curry said he’s used such treadmills for in-season rehab work, but the offseason focus here is new.
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“I did it more this summer than I’ve ever done,” Curry said.
Of course, Curry still got in the gym this summer, as trainer Brandon Payne has attested to the Chronicle. The workload, and functionality of such workouts, has simply changed.
“It’s really more, ‘How are you feeling? How does this? ’ It’s not necessarily, changing a whole lot,” Payne explained. “We might take the amount of time that we spend doing something — it might be down, and we’re more focused on quality over quantity. Meaning, we want high-quality reps, versus a lot of reps. Like, we’re a little bit more aware of that.
“But in terms of, like, how he plays? No. None of that’s changed.”
When healthy, Curry remains one of the most devastating shooters in the NBA, averaging 26.6 points in 30.9 minutes per game last season. Any hint of decline in performance would be natural. Any hint of decline in performance would also be devastating for the Warriors, who just re-upped with Curry on a two-year, $116 million extension. Golden State is operating on a wire-thin margin for error; Curry, in his 18th NBA season, is again the stabilizer.
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But he has put himself in a better position, he feels, than he was in last year.
“I still feel strong, and my toolbox is sharp,” Curry said. “And, just gotta be a little bit more patient now. Which is not a bad thing. It’s just an awareness thing.”
What are your expectations for the Warriors this season?
Most RecentTop Responses
Dave S
Walnut Creek, CA
09/29/26
Play in at best. Not making any playoffs a reasonable possibility. They are old and brittle.
Steven K
Newport, OR
09/29/26
I think they are gonna surprise people. I think Yaxel is going to be very good very soon. His extra time in college gives him a chance to avoid a lot of rookie screw up time. But of course a lot depends on health. I really hope we get to see the full roster on the court sooner rather than later. And hats off to Steph for giving Dunleavy some room to maneuver with his re-worked contract. What is he gonna do with all that money anyway? I think he’d rather win.
Gary B
Redding, CA
09/29/26
I have none. I don’t really even watch them any longer. I am a big fan of Curry and Moody. That is not a team.
If we don’t make a change to the roster at some point this year, we will not be better than last year.
Tomas S
Oakland, CA
09/29/26
I am tryna accept the messages being sent from the team and enter the season with low expectations so that they might be exceeded. Gonna root for individuals such as Yaxel, Dray, and Moody when he returns, to over perform, and for The Chef to give us a take-over-the-game at least once per month, injury-status permitting.
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