Warriors' Small Forward Will Miss Second Career Season Opener Due to Ankle Injury
SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors' small forward, Draymond Green, will not play on Tuesday in the NBA regular season opener against the Phoenix Suns.
Green is recovering from a sprained left ankle that he suffered during a game just three days before training camp began. He worked lightly on the court a week ago, first in 3-on-3 workouts on Friday, and then participated in 5-on-5 games on Sunday.
The small forward also took part in a controlled practice on Monday, but the Warriors are not ready to give him the green light to play in an official game.
"(Draymind) is doing very well, but we don't think it's wise to put him on the court with so little practice time. We will reevaluate him as the days go by," said Steve Kerr, coach of the Warriors.
This is only the second time in 12 years in the NBA that Green will miss the season opener. The first time was in the 2020-21 season when he was absent due to right foot pain.
Kerr did not specify who will start in place of Green, although he did experiment with several lineups throughout their five preseason games. When Chris Paul was on the active roster, he was a permanent fixture in the starting lineup during the preseason.
Although Kerr is optimistic that the Warriors have enough pieces to stay afloat during Green's absence, he is aware that this will set them back a bit.
"I have a clear vision of our team this year and he won't be in the game tomorrow (Tuesday) because he's not in his best shape and the team is not where we want it to be," Kerr emphasized. "We will be much better in one or two months, but that doesn't mean we can't have a good start. We will play well for the next two weeks as we adapt to Draymond again."