How Stephen Curry’s injury impacts Jordan Poole’s Sixth Man of the Year candidacy

The Golden State Warriors are hoping star point guard Stephen Curry does not have a serious leg injury after he exited Saturday’s game against the Dallas Mavericks with some discomfort. Curry knocked knees with a Dallas defender on a drive and appeared hobbled. The Warriors had a big lead, so Curry was eventually pulled out of the game. X-rays came back negative, but Curry will get a MRI to determine if there’s ligament damage.

Jordan Poole, Golden State’s young guard and often referred to by fans as the “third Splash Brother”, is the natural candidate to step up in Curry’s absence. However, Poole’s increased role could impact him in the Sixth Man of the Year race. Here’s a look at where he sits in that award race on DraftKings Sportsbook.

Update — Steve Kerr plans on inserting Poole into the starting lineup in place of Curry after all. So this may not move Poole’s chances of winning 6th Man of the Year as much as originally thought.

Jordan Poole 6th Man of the Year odds: +1600

The Warriors are going to keep Kevon Looney in the starting lineup according to head coach Steve Kerr. Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins have three spots solidified. That means there’s one spot left and there are several candidates to take it. Poole is the obvious choice, but the Warriors could roll with either Donte DiVincenzo or Ty Jerome. If Poole doesn’t start, he’s still set to get big minutes off the bench and likely close games. Curry is expected to miss multiple weeks starting with Monday’s game, so we’ll have a better idea of what the rotation looks like then. If Poole comes off the bench, he’s a great longshot bet in this category.