MEMPHIS – Draymond Green’s calf injury is so severe that he didn’t join the Warriors at the start of their four-game road trip.
Green will be working with the Warriors’ training staff over the next few days to see if he can join them in the middle of the trip, said Trainer Steve Kerr. But on Tuesday night against the Grizzlies, Golden State had to play a second game in a row without one of its top players.
« Chances are he’ll be with us on the trip, and chances are he won’t, » Kerr told the FedEx forum during the shooting on Tuesday. « That depends on how the next few days go. »
Green (left calf stiffness) was excluded from the injury report issued Monday afternoon, but his absence from the road trip was not known until he shot about eight hours before the notice on Tuesday evening. Otto Porter Jr. (left shoulder pain) and Gary Payton II (left ankle sprain) also appeared in the injury report, but Kerr had no update on their game against the Grizzlies. Juan Toscano-Anderson will replace Green in the starting XI, said Kerr.
Green’s absence also means a real reunion of the trio with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
Green felt a « twitch » in his left calf during Sunday night’s warm-up exercises that prevented him from playing, Kerr said after the Warriors beat Cleveland on Thompson’s return to the field. Green’s name was called during the induction and he took the seat next to Thompson but immediately fouled on the hint and did not return.
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Warriors’ Draymond Green was pushed out of Klay Thompson’s return (mostly) with a calf injury
Green, who averaged 7.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.6 assists per game, saw his stats take a blow due to his desire to at least solemnly attend Thompson’s first game in 941 days. He recorded a start and 7 seconds of play time, which goes into his averages per game.
Now the Warriors have Thompson back in the mix, but questions about the health of an equally important piece remain.
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