The question of “who will start for the Warriors on opening night” has taken an unexpected turn.
Draymond Green sprained his left ankle during a workout at the Chase Center this week, a story broken by Anthony Slater at The Athletic and confirmed by Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area. Green told Marc Spears of ESPN that it happened stepping on Jonathan Kuminga’s foot during a pickup game and he expects to be out 4-6 weeks.
“I dodged a bullet and learned that today by the way it’s (positively) reacting. Even with an MRI you don’t see the trend of it immediately. The swelling is down,” Warriors forward @Money23Green tells @andscape about his sprained left ankle he expects to keep him out 4-6 weeks.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 30, 2023
Even on the short end of that timeline, Green would miss all of training camp and the first week of the NBA season. The Warriors open the season on Oct. 24 as they host Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns.
Green, 33, averaged 8.5 points a game shooting 61.2% inside the arc in 73 games for the Warriors last season. However, his real impact is felt on the defensive end, where he remains elite, both as a player who can guard up against forwards and centers, and as the quarterback who organizes the Warriors on that end. Green made the NBA All-Defensive second team last season.
While Green is out, expect Steve Kerr to lean into the combination of Kuminga and Dario Saric with more minutes.
The Warriors will take their time with getting Green back, he played through nagging injuries last season and it slowed him at points. With Golden State’s target being a fifth ring in the Stephen Curry era, the long play of getting Green fully healthy before he retakes the court is what matters.