Golden State Warriors to be without Draymond Green in opener

SAN FRANCISCO — Draymond Green, the talented forward for the Golden State Warriors, will unfortunately be absent from the team’s season opener against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.

Green’s absence is attributed to his ongoing recovery from a left lateral ankle sprain sustained during a pickup game just before the commencement of training camp. Although he has been gradually returning to on-court activities, engaging in light work a week ago, participating in 3-on-3 sessions on Friday, and eventually joining the 5-on-5 practice on Sunday, the team has decided that he is not yet ready for game action.

While Green was able to take part in team practice and the controlled scrimmage on Monday, Coach Steve Kerr and the rest of the staff have deemed it unwise to rush his return with limited scrimmage time under his belt.

“His progress is immensely encouraging, but we believe it would be imprudent to thrust him back onto the court with such little time spent in scrimmage situations,” explained Coach Kerr. “We will continue to reassess his condition in the coming days.”

The Warriors’ second game of the season is scheduled to take place on Friday in Sacramento.

This will only be the second time in Green’s impressive 12-year NBA career that he will miss the opening night. His previous absence was in the 2020-21 season opener due to soreness in his right foot.

Coach Kerr opted not to disclose who will be starting in place of Green on Tuesday, as he has been experimenting with various starting lineups throughout the team’s five preseason games. Notably, Chris Paul has been a consistent presence in the starting lineup when he is available.

While Coach Kerr remains optimistic about the team’s ability to perform well in Green’s absence, he acknowledges that the forward’s absence will inevitably hinder the team to some extent.

“I have a clear vision for our team this year, but unfortunately, it won’t be fully visible tomorrow night because we are not yet at the level we aspire to be,” admitted Coach Kerr. “However, we can still make a strong start in the next few weeks as we gradually reintegrate Draymond into the lineup.”