The Golden State Warriors are back on top of the NBA to open the season, but the journey back to the top has been a challenging one. In a candid interview, Curry admitted he understood why many had doubts the Warriors would get back to their winning ways.

“Well, why would they think we could?” Curry said. “We had some of the worst situations happen with (Kevin Durant) getting hurt and leaving, Klay (Thompson) being out and then his Achilles, and our brand of basketball looked different with who was out there on the court.”

Curry admitted he had some personal struggles alongside Golden State's struggles as a team.

“Watching the bubble was the lowest point of those two years,” Curry said. “There was a part of me that felt it was nice to get refreshed, and a part of me really missed playing on that stage. That was the first time in seven years of not being in the playoffs. We know each player had their own experiences in the bubble, but I would have loved to have been there competing. I would say that was the lowest point in terms of my basketball experience because I felt so far away from it. This is what I love to do.”

Klay Thompson's long comeback from injuries continues to take steps in the right direction. The Golden State Warriors have assigned Thompson to the Santa Cruz Warriors of the G League for some increased practice reps.

Thompson has not played in an NBA game since Game 5 the 2019 NBA Finals. Thompson tore his left ACL during that game. While rehabbing from that injury, Thompson tore his right Achilles tendon.

James Wiseman, who is also working his way back from injury, was also assigned to Santa Cruz. Both Thompson and Wiseman are expected to practice with the G League affiliate, but are unlikely to appear in G League games.

Klay Thompson participated in a full team practice on Tuesday for the first tie since tearing his ACL in June 2019 and his right Achilles in November 2020.

"It's so exciting," Thompson said. "Just to be running up and down the court and playing basketball, it's truly a blessing and it makes coming to work so easy. The boring stuff's behind me, and now it's just getting back in game shape -- I got to stay patient because I can be an overeager person to get out there and play, but I'm just incredibly grateful to be out there. The work the training staff and I have done over the last two years is really paying off, and it's hard to put into words how grateful I am to be playing basketball again."

While Thompson is ramping up his activity, there is no timeline for his return currently.

"We don't have a target date," Steve Kerr said. "What we have is a number of weeks ahead of us for certain where we're going to play it out, keep letting him scrimmage as often as possible so that he'll build that endurance. And I would think within a few weeks we'll be able to finally sort of get a target date, but we don't have one right now."

“We are now the type of team where it’s championship or bust,” Thompson said. “And that’s a really cool position to be in. Not a lot of players get to experience that.”

As the Golden State Warriors have put together the NBA's best record at 15-2, most are focusing on Stephen Curry having an MVP-caliber season. Not be missed is Draymond Green finding his form once again as well.

Green is back to being a defensive terror and he hopes award voters take notice.

"I want to win. I want to be a Defensive Player of the Year again, and I want to be an All-Star again," said Green. "And that is motivating me because a lot of people had counted me out. Same mistake people made before when I first came into the league...that's fuel to the fire."

For his part, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr agrees that Green looks like he's back.

"I think Draymond Green is the best defender in the world. I think he's had just an unbelievable start to the season," Kerr said. "He's so motivated. He's so engaged every single night."

Klay Thompson has been cleared to be a full-time participate in all future practices with the Golden State Warriors.

Thompson is trending toward a potential return the week before Christmas Day. Thompson spent last week scrimmaging 5-on-5. Thompson is expected to play between 18-22 minutes per game when he initially returns. 

Thompson is returning from a torn ACL in June of 2019 and a torn Achilles in November 2020.

Barring a setback, either December 20th against the Sacramento Kings, or December 23rd against the Memphis Grizzlies are expected comeback dates.

Klay Thomas has been cleared for full contact work and has began participating in some 5-on-5 work as he works his way back from a torn Achilles.

Thompson suffered the Achilles tear in November 2020 following a torn ACL in June 2019.

"He played 5-on-5 [Monday] and then I think he's going to play 5-on-5 [Wednesday]," Steve Kerr said after Tuesday's 117-99 win over the Brooklyn Nets. "James [Wiseman] did not play. He hasn't been cleared yet for 5-on-5, but Klay did, and I got good reports and he's got to keep going. A two-year absence requires a lot of work. Not just a rehab, but the endurance, the strength, so it's great that he's playing 5-on-5 but it doesn't mean he's going to be ready to step on an NBA floor next week or something, but he's progressing really well."

The Warriors hope Thompson could return by Christmas.

"It's huge," Draymond Green said of Thompson's pending return. "From a mental standpoint alone, just huge. So I think it also helps with the way other teams view you as well. So we're looking forward to getting him back. We know what he brings to the table. We're not expecting him to be Klay Thompson of 2018 right away, but he's worked his ass off. He's worked his ass off for this moment, and I'm looking forward to getting him back out there."

Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have been named the NBA's Players of the Week for Week 4.

Curry averaged 34.8 points, 7.8 assists and 5.5 rebounds as the Golden State Warriors went 3-1.

Durant averaged 32.3 points and 7.8 rebounds as the Brooklyn Nets went 3-1.

Stephen Curry has passed Ray Allen on the NBA's all-time three-point shots made list. Curry hit nine threes against the Chicago Bulls on Friday night to push his total to 2,896 made three-pointers.

Curry needed 585 fewer games to pass Allen's mark.

In his 12-plus NBA seasons, Curry has led the NBA in made three-pointers six times and seems well on his way to doing it again. Curry is currently averaging 5.3 made threes per game. He's also averaging 28.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. Curry's efforts have helped lead the Warriors to an NBA-best 11-1 record to open the season.

James Wiseman has missed each game to start the 2021-22 season, but his return could be right around the corner. Wiseman could suit up for the Golden State Warriors during Thanksgiving week.

Wiseman injured his meniscus in his right knee in mid-April of his rookie season. That injury ended an up-and-down first NBA season. Wiseman averaged 11.5 points and 5.8 rebounds in 21.4 minutes per game.

The Warriors have been cautiously working their prized big man back into workouts. While Golden State travels for an east coast road trip, Wiseman is expected to join the Santa Cruz Warriors of the G League for practices and possible scrimmages. Wiseman may be joined by Klay Thompson, who is continuing to rehab from a torn ACL.

Joe Lacob recently took a victory lap over the Golden State Warriors' trade in 2020 of D'Angelo Russell for Andrew Wiggins and a lightly protected first round pick that became Jonathan Kuminga.

"I thought it was one of the greatest deals, certainly maybe the greatest deal we’ve ever done," Lacob started, presumably referring to his tenure with the team. "And one of the best I’ve seen in a long, long time. I thought it was a killer deal. I thought Bob [Myers] did an amazing job. I don’t even know how to put it strong enough."

Wiggins has developed into an invaluable role player for the Warriors while Russell's fit with the team was clearly clunky.