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NBA Rumors: How the Warriors Replace Draymond Green Following Injury – Last Word On Sports
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green said he expects to be out 4-to-6 weeks due to an ankle injury, per Jason Dumas of KRON 4 News. Dumas said that the injury was not a high ankle sprain. More information on Green’s status will be revealed Monday during the Warriors media day.
Source: Draymond Green sprained his left ankle. It’s not a high ankle sprain. Recovery could be anywhere from three to six weeks.
Should have more info on Monday during Warriors media day.
— Jason Dumas (@JDumasReports) September 30, 2023
Green picked up the injury during a pickup game this week at Chase Center, a source told Kendra Andrews of ESPN.
Draymond Green has suffered a left ankle sprain, a source confirms to ESPN.
Green sustained the injury during a pickup game at Chase Chase earlier this week.
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) September 30, 2023
“I dodged a bullet and learned that today by the way it’s (positively) reacting,” Green told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “Even with an MRI you don’t see the trend of it immediately. The swelling is down.”
The 4-to-6-week timetable Green has projected means he will miss all training camp. The 33-year-old forward could also miss the first few regular season games.
While Green’s absence is a blow to the Warriors, particularly their frontcourt depth, it does make Steve Kerr’s starting lineup decision a little easier.
There had been rumors earlier in the summer that Chris Paul wanted to start even though he is better suited to come off the bench. Plus, the Warriors already have one of the best starting lineups in basketball.
Kerr previously said that the Warriors starting lineup would be made during training camp.
Steve Kerr still hasn’t decided whether Chris Paul will start. He said the Warriors will look at various lineup combinations during camp.
“If this is going to work, everyone is going to have to embrace it regardless of who starts.”
Full detailed Kerr response. pic.twitter.com/UtdyQKEms8
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) September 25, 2023
Now, Paul and Stephen Curry make up the Warriors backcourt. Klay Thompson will start at small forward alongside Andrew Wiggins at power forward and Kevon Looney at center.
Dario Saric and Jonathan Kuminga were likely going to be the first bigs off the bench. Now, both players will probably see an increasing amount of minutes.
Depending on how long Green is out, it could give Rudy Gay the upper hand to win the Warriors’ 14th and final roster spot. If not, rookie Trayce Jackson-Davis could see some early minutes, as could Usman Garuba, who is on a two-way deal.
Golden State recently made many moves to fill out their training camp roster. Besides the 13 players on standard contracts, the Warriors have brought in Gay, Rodney McGruder, Donovan Williams, Kendric Davis, and Javan Johnson on training camp deals.
C.J. Holmes of the San Francisco Chronicle believes that the final roster spot will come down to Gay and McGruder. Both players hold nonguaranteed deals for the veteran minimum.
Gay can play either forward position. The 37-year-old’s production has slowly declined, but he still rebounds the ball well and is a physical defender. Gay also can provide a little 3-point shooting, though he shot just 25.4% from deep last season.
McGruder is gritty and versatile, as he can play either the wing or power forward. Overall, he is a good shooter and has been an above-average 3-point shooter each of the last three seasons. However, he is an end-of-bench type of player. McGuder appeared in 32 games last year and 98 contests over the previous three years.
Expect Gay to win the last roster spot if he demonstrates that he has a little left. The Warriors could use someone who can provide leadership and some frontcourt depth. Of the 16 players, including their three two-way players, they have seven players who are wings. Meanwhile, they only have six big men.
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