A workout clip from Beijing showed Curry moving with a slight limp and brought up the same questions about his knee that hung over last season.
Golden State Warriors fans spent the offseason wondering whether point guard Stephen Curry's right knee would be an issue when training camp opens later this month, and a workout video from Beijing this week did not put those concerns to rest.
The clip showed Curry moving through drills with what appeared to be a slight limp, and the reaction across social media was immediate.
Curry played just 43 games last season because of the knee and still averaged 26.6 points and 4.7 assists in those appearances, so his ability has never been the question.
The question is whether the 38-year-old can stay on the floor long enough to give his team what it needs over a full season.
What the Reporting Says
Monte Poole of Yahoo Sports reported earlier this month that concern about Curry's knee has been a recurring topic behind the scenes.
"There's at least some lingering concern about the knee," Poole wrote. "From what I've been told, it can be managed, but it has to be managed and that's a new thing for Steph because people always say he is the most conditioned guy in the league and now he has to manage a knee."
That tracks with what the video showed, and the Warriors have not come out to dispute it.
Managing a knee is a different reality for a player who built his career on being one of the best-conditioned athletes in the sport, and it adds uncertainty to a season that already has several open questions for Golden State.
The Depth Problem
The timing makes the concern worse.
Forward Jimmy Butler is still recovering from an ACL tear and is not expected to return until at least December, which means Curry will need to carry the offensive load through the first two months of the season with a reduced supporting cast.
Forward Draymond Green averaged 5.5 assists and 5.5 rebounds per game last season and can shoulder some of the playmaking, but the offense still runs through Curry's shooting and movement on almost every possession.
Guard Moses Moody averaged 12.1 points on 40.1 percent three-point shooting before suffering a torn patellar tendon in March, and his own recovery timeline means the Warriors could be short two contributors when the season opens.
What Comes Next
Training camp opens in a few weeks, and the early conversations around Curry will be about how many minutes he can handle per game and how many rest nights the team needs to build into the schedule.
Golden State needs Curry to play at least 65 games this season to have a realistic path to the postseason, and the Beijing video raised real doubts about whether that number is in reach.
Curry has never dealt with a chronic knee issue over a full season, and the idea that his body now requires careful management rather than simple maintenance is a shift the franchise has not had to plan for before.
How his knee responds to a full training camp will tell them more about this season than anything else between now and opening night.
