Warriors Guard Will Richard Gives More Details on New Injury

Guard Will Richard thought he had only jammed his thumb on a box-out during Saturday's overtime win over the Orlando Magic, but the Golden State Warriors learned it was much worse than that.

Richard told reporters before Monday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans that he has a full tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, not a partial one, and he missed the 138-87 win that night.

That was the first game Richard has missed this season, and nothing about his 12 minutes against Orlando, when he had four points, two rebounds and an assist, looked like the start of an absence.

The team put him on the injury report as out on Sunday, ahead of the Pelicans game.

Now the Warriors have to decide whether Richard has surgery or tries to play with a splint, and he said the plan is to wait until the swelling goes down before he goes through a full-speed workout with catching to see how the thumb feels.

"But if I feel comfortable and confident, I want to play. I want to be out there for the guys," Richard told Luca Evans of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Warriors said he will weigh his options over the next week, and surgery is still on the table, with a hand surgeon who spoke to the Chronicle saying that route could keep Richard off the floor for four to six weeks.

Head coach Steve Kerr said before Monday's game that Richard has been playing at a really high level with a lot of confidence in an important role, and he added that the team would know more after a few days once the swelling settles.

Richard does not put up big numbers, but he has a real role in his second season.

The 2025 second-round pick out of Florida, where he helped the Gators win a national title, is averaging 5.1 points in 17.2 minutes across 10 games and is shooting 42.9% from three.

He also made two starts last week against the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat, and he was on the floor in the overtime win over Orlando before the injury showed up.

Golden State has other guards who can take those minutes, as guard De'Anthony Melton scored 16 points in 26 minutes against the Pelicans, and guard LJ Cryer added 10 points in 20 minutes.

The depth is getting tested, though, as guard Gary Payton II missed Monday with left knee inflammation, and guard Brandon Williams hurt his left hamstring and is set for an MRI, with both listed as day-to-day.

That comes on top of the team already working through a thin frontcourt this month.

Through all of it, Golden State keeps winning, and at 8-3 after eight straight wins it sits fourth in the Western Conference heading into road games at Houston on Wednesday and San Antonio on Friday.

I would lean toward the splint if the workout goes well, because a defender with Richard's energy is hard to replace in the middle of a winning run.

Either way, the Warriors should know more soon.