Though the Golden State Warriors will be without Stephen Curry for several weeks, the two-time NBA MVP is relieved the prognosis on his injured left shoulder was not worse.
Curry is expected to be sidelined for around a month with a shoulder subluxation he sustained in the Warriors' loss at the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday, according to a report from The Athletic.
However, the injury will not require surgery that would threaten the star guard's availability for the rest of the season.
"From what I know about shoulder injuries and situations like that, anytime you can avoid anything [involving] surgery, it's great news,” Curry told reporters following Golden State's shootaround for Friday's game with the Philadelphia 76ers.
"That changed the whole dynamic of the conversation, both personally and as a team.
"It was a matter of making sure I didn't need surgery and that my shoulder will be able to heal on its own, however long that took, because I know the surgeries are four to six months [recovery time]. Nobody wants to be dealing with that right now."
Since Curry has never dealt with shoulder problems over the course of his 14-year NBA career, he said he is hopeful the healing process will be smoother than if he had a recurring injury.
"I'm just trying to stay positive and understand that I'll be back sooner than later, hopefully, and hopefully I won't miss a beat in terms of how I feel and how I've been playing," said Curry, one of seven players currently averaging at least 30 points per game this season.
"My body's in good shape. I feel I can maintain that for the most part while [I'm] injured, then get back there in hoop.”
Curry's injury still comes at an inopportune time for the defending NBA champions, who have lost four of five and are also without starting forward Andrew Wiggins.
Golden State is in the midst of a challenging six-game road trip and has the second worst winning percentage away from home this season at 2-13.
The Warriors enter Friday's game 10th in the Western Conference, which would place them in the play-in tournament if the season ended today.
"It's just a matter of other guys stepping up," Curry said. "Every team goes through this at some point throughout the year, dealing with injuries, dealing with some of your main guys being out.
"You've got to figure out how to perform and embrace this challenge. I'm super confident in the guys we have on this team to figure it out. We can talk ourselves into we're still in good shape, but you've got to go out and be a consistent basketball team. I think we can do that."