Nets to rely on Seth Curry despite his ailing ankle
Nets guard Seth Curry drives against Hornets forward P.J. Washington in the second half of an NBA game on Sunday at Barclays Center. Credit: AP/John Minchillo
The Nets don’t expect that Seth Curry’s nagging ankle injury will require surgery in the offseason, and Steve Nash said Tuesday that they’ll continue to rely on him, even as he plays through pain.
“I have no idea what the next step is for him,” Nash said before the Nets were set to take on the Pistons at Barclays Center. “I’m under the assumption that it’s more rest than anything. But yeah, I mean, he’s going to have to manage this thing probably the rest of the way. You know, he’s still playing relatively like himself. I think he’s had some really great nights for us and carried this thing pretty well. He’s a pretty tough character and wants to play, so I think he’ll be OK.”
Curry, who’s nursed the injury since January and has one more year on his contract, told reporters at the morning shootaround that his ankle likely just required about a month of rest — something that will have to wait until after the playoffs. He added that it’s hindered his ability to prepare and put in extra work and that it’s painful to play on. He’s missed four games with the injury in the last two weeks, and played only 12 minutes against the Jazz because of the ankle.
But since the trade that brought him to Brooklyn in February, Curry has proved invaluable to the Nets. He’s shooting 48.5% from the perimeter this year — a pivotal contribution with Joe Harris out for the year and after Patty Mills’ shooting has cooled off in the last month. Curry went into Tuesday’s game shooting 50% from three since joining the Nets. He’s also the Nets third-best scorer, behind Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
Regardless, Nash said that if there’s an opportunity to rest him, they'll take it.
“If there’s pockets where we can preserve him and limit his minutes, we’ll try,” he said. “But this is the nature of the NBA. You have to play through a lot of things. If you’re not playing through something, that’s almost more unique than to carry an injury with you this time of year.”
Simmons stymied
Nash said Ben Simmons (herniated disc) has still not progressed to individual workouts and has not had a second MRI on his back.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
