If LeBron James taught the NBA world anything, it’s that sciatica is no joke, and right now, the Golden State Warriors are learning that first-hand with Al Horford.
Horford, a veteran addition to the team over the offseason, has been sidelined for two weeks, fighting a recent battle with sciatica. The 2024 NBA champion did offer an update on his recovery from the injury and a potential return date, which, for the struggling Warriors, can’t come soon enough.
“Probably a week,” Horford said of a return date, according to Nick Friedell of The Athletic. “Just cause nerves are different than the muscle injuries. In the past, I’ve been able to push through different kinds of injuries like that, but this is just a little different.”
The 39-year-old has appeared in just 13 games for the Warriors this season and in that time, has been a bit less than advertised, putting up averages of 5.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and two assists, on 32.1% shooting from the field and 29.8% from three.
Al Horford Offers Injury Update, Return Date
While Golden State isn’t expecting to get Horford back for at least a few more games, the big man did finally make a return to practice.
“I feel good,” he said before the team’s upcoming game against the Phoenix Suns. “Just excited to be on the court and just getting my body going again.”
From his arrival onward, the Warriors knew the aging Horford wouldn’t suit up in back-to-back games likely for the rest of his career, but so far, he hasn’t been close to even that type of availability as he deals with sciatica in his back.
Horford said Golden State’s December 4th matchup against the Philadelphia 76ers was when he experienced the impact of the nerve injury, and while he wants to return, he understands playing it safe early in the season is the right move.
“That game, that’s where I started to feel — it didn’t feel right towards the end of the game,” Horford added. “That’s when I kind of regressed considerably, so the medical team is obviously trying to protect me, and they understood that I needed to get right.”
It took James months to return for the Los Angeles Lakers, so while perhaps not as severe a case, it is still a cause for concern on the aging Bay Area team. If he can return in a week, that would put him back in the lineup for a contest against the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas Day.
Seth Curry was the most recent player to join Horford on the Warriors’ injury report, as he’s day-to-day with a thigh injury.
Warriors Trade Rumors, Klay Thompson Return?
At the same time that Golden State has been fighting off injuries to its veterans, turnover issues, and overall uncertainty, the franchise has been heavily mentioned in trade rumors.
Jonathan Kuminga has been at the center of most of those rumors. After signing a deal over the summer to return to the game, head coach Steve Kerr hasn’t played him in over a week. After a myriad of other issues, that appeared to be the final coffin in what was already an uncertain future for the forward.
With the highest likelihood possible, Kuminga is expected to be dealt by the trade deadline in early February.
More recently, and perhaps more intriguing for Warriors fans, are the recent trade rumors surrounding Klay Thompson of the Mavericks. With Dallas’s greater uncertain future, the four-time champion with Golden State was reported to have links back with his old team.
“Those around Thompson say they believe it could eventually happen because ‘there’s no one that carries more weight with Klay than Steph,’ one league source said,” Anthony Slater wrote for ESPN. “But Curry would have to push for it.”
Despite the somewhat messy breakup and obvious downturn in his game, a reunion between Thompson, Curry, Draymond Green, and Kerr would likely be something only a few Warriors fans would oppose. Regardless of whether it happens or not, and even if it means playing into their aging and injured roster, Thompson will always be remembered in a Golden State jersey.
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