Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has a mild muscle strain in his right foot and is doubtful for Tuesday night’s NBA opener against the Brooklyn Nets.
Green initially injured his foot during a scrimmage earlier in the week and had an MRI that came back clear, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr said the organization is being cautious at the beginning of the league’s condensed 72-game regular season.
“Draymond did not practice, so he’s doubtful for Tuesday,” Kerr said following Saturday’s practice, which included another round of scrimmaging. “He tweaked his foot in the scrimmage two days ago. Didn’t really know [how severe] until the next morning when he woke up; it was a little sore … he got an MRI. It’s clear. But we’re trying to be very, very careful … It’s not a long-term thing. We feel very confident that if he doesn’t play Tuesday or Christmas Day, he’ll be on the trip and we think he’ll be available pretty quickly.”
Both Green and No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman missed most of training camp while following league protocols. General manager Bob Myers said before camp opened that two players tested positive for COVID-19. While the Warriors never officially stated Green’s and Wiseman’s absences due to league rules, they were the only two players who didn’t participate at the start of practice.
Kerr acknowledged that the early setback is frustrating for Green, but he noted that the Warriors hope to have him back soon.
“I know Draymond’s disappointed to not practice today and maybe not play Tuesday night,” Kerr said. “But he’s also well aware it’s a long season, 72 games. He’s going to get right. He’s going to be healthy and ready to roll when he is, and at that point there’s a ton of basketball left, so we’re being smart and Draymond understands the need to be so.”
The good news for the Warriors is that Wiseman went through all of Saturday’s practice and is expected to play in Tuesday’s opener.
“James practiced fully today,” Kerr said. “His conditioning looked really good. I was very impressed given he had only had the one 12-minute scrimmage the other day. This was a full-team scrimmage — we went two full quarters. He played with the starters just so I could get a look at him with Steph [Curry] and Andrew [Wiggins] and Kelly [Oubre] and he had a really good day. He looked like he picked a lot of things up in the last few days.
“He’s progressing nicely. I’m very excited about James, and I think he should be ready to go Tuesday night.”
Whether Wiseman starts or not Tuesday, Kerr made it clear that the rookie’s time as a starter is coming soon as he continues to find his rhythm in practice.
“James is going to be our starting center before too long,” Kerr said. “It might happen Tuesday, but clearly he is our long-term starting center. And when we feel he’s ready for that, then we’ll put him out there and then it’s a matter of minutes and how long he can play. And for me as a coach, for my staff, it’s let’s give him the experience of seeing the different pictures that are going to be in front of him.”
