Draymond Green will be back on the court soon.
Just a couple of nights after picking up a huge win over the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Golden State Warriors got plastered by the Phoenix Suns 130-105 in San Francisco. This was another game where Steve Kerr and company desperately missed forward Draymond Green, who missed his seventh consecutive game with a calf injury.
After the game, Kerr had a positive update on Green’s status. After missing nearly two weeks, Green is getting close to returning, via Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
“He scrimmaged today and he will practice with us tomorrow,” Kerr said, per Slater. “We’re expecting him to play next week sometime. Not sure which game, but we’ll see how he comes out. He scrimmaged and did fine, so he’s on the right track.”
The Warriors went 3-4 without Green, which is about on par with what they have done when Green has been in the lineup this season. There were high highs such as that win over the Thunder, but there were also low lows such as Friday’s loss and a 40-point loss to the Boston Celtics. Still, Green gives the Warriors an element of playmaking and a defensive identity that they simply do not have when he isn’t out there.
Warriors need Draymond Green back to make a standings push
Similar to his running mate Stephen Curry, Draymond Green isn’t quite what he once was as he plays out the latter stages of his career. However, this Warriors team desperately needs Green back on the court if they want to get up into the play-in and even make a push for the top six in the Western Conference.
The Warriors have struggled on offense this season primarily because of their lack of shot creators. Outside of Curry, the Warriors don’t really have any players who can create any shots for themselves, and new addition Dennis Schroder has been disappointing in that department so far. Green doesn’t create any shots for himself, but he can create shots for others with his screening and passing ability.
Defensively, the Warriors have completely lost their sense of physicality and identity without Green in the lineup. During this most recent absence, Golden State has given up at least 123 points three times now. Green is a great defender on an individual level, but he is also one of the best communicators in the NBA on that end of the floor.
If Golden State can get Green back and he is healthy enough to play an extended stint without missing games, they have a chance to move up in a Western Conference where the playoff spots are there for the taking. A lot of teams are inconsistent and struggling to stack wins, so even a brief winning streak can move you up significantly. Green could be the key to the Warriors doing that this season.
