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The Golden State Warriors have found their groove, as they have won seven consecutive games after losing their first three contests to begin the 2026-27 season. However, the Warriors will now have to contend with the loss of a valued rotation player in sophomore guard Will Richard.
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According to Brett Siegel, ClutchPoints NBA insider, Richard is out indefinitely with a UCL tear in his left thumb. The Warriors guard sustained this injury during their 126-119 victory over the Orlando Magic in overtime.
Richard still played 12 minutes during that game and put up four points on 1-of-1 shooting from the field and 2-of-2 from the foul line. He’s played in all 10 games thus far for the Warriors, averaging 5.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.0 assist in his 17.2 minutes per contest.
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The Warriors have embraced a next man up mentality all season long, and Richard’s injury isn’t about to make circumstances any different for Golden State. At the very least, a few more minutes per ballgame should be in store for the likes of De’Anthony Melton, Brandon Williams, Gary Payton II, and even Gui Santos.
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Last season, Sacramento Kings forward Keegan Murray suffered a torn UCL in his left thumb as well. This put him on the shelf for the first 15 games of the 2025-26 season, and he missed nearly a month’s worth of games.
Richard could be out for a similar period of time as well. One would think that the earliest he could make his return is in early December, but there is nothing concrete yet in that regard.
Whatever the case may be in terms of Richard’s injury recovery and timeline, the Warriors will look to keep grinding away wins the way they’ve done to start the season. Stephen Curry has been on a tear, Yaxel Lendeborg has been better than expected, and their offense is humming — starting the season within the top five in points scored per 100 possessions.
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