Warriors star Steph Curry made his long-awaited return on Sunday after missing 27 consecutive games due to a nagging knee injury.

Despite Curry showing out with 29 points in his first game since Jan. 30, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes the two-time NBA MVP should have sat out for the rest of the season.

“Me personally, because age has kicked in [and] nutrition to some degree, having missed 27 straight games, seeing him out there, I just hate it from the standpoint that it’s useless for the Warriors,” Smith said on ESPN’s “First Take.”

“[The Warriors are not] going anywhere. You’re going to be in the play-in as the tenth seed. You’re going to go up against the Portland Trail Blazers. You might not make it out of the play-in. Watching Steph Curry is never bad for basketball. We all are treated to something special. Warriors fans are treated to something special. We get it.”

“What if Giannis stood up and said, ‘I wanna make sure I go to Golden State.'”

—@stephenasmith talks about his trepidations with Steph Curry’s return and the Warriors’ outlook moving forward ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/LZrLuUHQpb

— First Take (@FirstTake) April 6, 2026

In Golden State’s 117-116 loss to the Houston Rockets on Sunday at Chase Center, Curry came off the bench and scored 29 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field and 5 of 10 from 3-point range in 26 minutes on the court.

Even though the Warriors only have a chance to claim either the No. 9 or 10 seed in the Western Conference at this point in the season, the 38-year-old Curry still pushed to get back in action and provide a much-needed boost for the team.

“It’s just that I’m thinking about next year and the year after, how much time he has left, and I don’t want to see anything happening to this brother because I need him,” Smith added.

“I need him because he and [Anthony Edwards] are my two favorite players in the entire NBA to watch, and I don’t want anything to happen that could derail his health in any way for him or the Warriors. No Jimmy Butler there. They’re clearly not healthy, and whatever. I get it. I understand it. It’s just that that’s where my trepidations kick in.”

With Curry’s return to action, the Warriors get back the piece they severely have been missing for the last two months and the player who always gives them a chance to win any game.

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