SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green will miss the remaining two games of the preseason as he recovers from a left lateral ankle sprain, the Warriors announced Tuesday, putting his status for the regular-season opener up in the air.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Green is considered “questionable” for their first game of the regular season, which is slated for Oct. 24 against the Phoenix Suns.
Green has been cleared to begin light on-court workouts, such as shooting drills, but will not return to full team practice or scrimmages yet. He will be reevaluated again on Sunday.
“I just talked to him and he felt good in his workout today,” Kerr said after practice on Tuesday. “He’s moving around, he’s doing some drill work on the court and by the end of the week hopefully he is playing some 3-on-3. We’ll reevaluate at that point.”
Kerr said he would not put Green in a game without getting 5-on-5 action under his belt. The hope is that Green will play 3-on-3 by Friday, and then graduate to 5-on-5 for Sunday’s practice.
Green suffered the injury the week before training camp began during a pickup game at Chase Center.
“I’m a pretty fast healer — so I feel like I’m improving fast, and it’s good,” Green said on media day, three days after he sprained the ankle. “[I] didn’t quite foresee this coming into the season, but everything happens for a reason. I think I’m excited because we have a great performance team, and I’ll be in even better shape by the time — whenever that is — when I start playing.”
The Warriors host the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday and the San Antonio Spurs on Friday to round out their preseason slate.
Green, 33, is entering his 12th season in the NBA with a new four-year, $100 million contract extension under his belt.
Last season, Green played in 73 games, working through several nagging injuries, including to his back, neck, foot, and knee. Two seasons ago, he missed one month because of a back injury.
Cory Joseph, who has missed training camp and preseason games because of a lower back strain, has returned to team practice and scrimmages, the Warriors said. He’s listed as questionable for Wednesday’s game against the Kings.
Rodney McGruder, who is with the Warriors on a training camp roster spot, has cleared the league’s concussion protocol, resumed full practice, but Golden State will not playing against Sacramento. Like Green, the team wants him to get more scrimmaging under his belt before playing in a game.
Source : ESPN
