Warriors’ Curry expects to play again this season

10:59 PM ET

SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry says he expects to play at some point this season after breaking his left hand in an Oct. 30 loss to the Phoenix Suns. Curry, who had surgery on Nov. 1 in Los Angeles, was in good spirits as he spoke to the media for the first time since the injury prior to Monday’s game against the Utah Jazz.

“I definitely expect to be ready to play,” Curry said. “I don’t know when. At some point in early spring. Just a matter of the rehab process. I’ve never obviously broken anything and dealt with a hand injury like this…[But] I’m excited about the potential that the rest of the season isn’t lost “

Curry, who wore a large brace around his hand while sitting at the podium, is expected to be out at least three months as he recovers. He said he will need another procedure on his hand in a few weeks as part of the recovery process.

“As part of the rehab I have to get a second procedure done at the beginning of December probably and remove some of the pins that they put in there,” he said. “So the swelling’s going to be something that’s of the utmost priority early in the rehab process to give me a chance to come back and get my range of motion back pretty quickly. So travel is not in the cards right now but hopefully when the new year hits I’ll be able to be on the road and progress quickly in terms of things that I can do on the court, in the weight room, all that type of stuff and obviously be around the team as much as I can.”

The Warriors, meanwhile, are 2-8 heading into Monday’s games as Curry is one of many injuries and departures that have recently decimated their championship core. Curry is hoping he can offer words of advice and encouragement for his younger teammates who are trying to pick up the slack. He admitted that he is struggling with being away from the group.

“My ankle surgery was way back in the day, it was over the summer, so it was a little easier to kind of cope,” he said. “Obviously there’s action every day — watching games on TV every day is no fun. Obviously I enjoy spending time with my family but when you’re out there missing games it’s always tough. I’m not good at just sitting down and resting so I got to figure that out.”

Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is hoping to keep his star guard engaged as much as possible over the next few months.

“You know Steph, he’s very practical,” Kerr said. “He doesn’t get too high or too low. More than anything, I know he’s bored. he wants to be a part of things. Wants to be out on the court. he’s just gotta be patient. Get healthy. Once he’s healthy and ready to roll, he’ll be out there.”