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It appears Draymond Green is still far from rejoining the Golden State Warriors following his indefinite suspension.
Ten games in and Green has not shown up yet in the team’s practice facility, Warriors coach Steve Kerr shared with reporters before they snapped a 3-game skid with a 121-115 win over the Orlando Magic on Tuesday, January 2.
“We’ve been giving him his space, he’s been giving us ours,” Kerr said via NBA.com.
But the line of communication is open as Kerr said he has been texting with Green this whole time.
The Warriors improved to 6-4 since Green was indefinitely suspended for striking Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in the face during a December 12 loss.
On Christmas Day, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that “there’s a general belief that his suspension will cover a range of 11 to 13 games — barring any setbacks.”
The Warriors are in the midst of a season-high seven-game homestand that will end on January 10 against the New Orleans Pelicans, which will mark the 14th game since Green’s suspension.
Wojnarowski added that Green is undergoing periodic virtual meetings with the NBA, NBPA and the Warriors to chart his progress aside from undergoing counseling.
“These Zoom meetings are playing a role in how the NBA, National Basketball Players Association and the Warriors measure Green’s progress toward working through whatever issues might have contributed to repeated violent episodes with opponents and a former teammate, sources said,” Wojnarowski wrote.
Klay Thompson Chats With Steve Kerr About ‘Final Chapter’
Kerr talked Klay Thompson out of his shooting slump in a heart-to-heart talk on New Year’s Day.
“That helped me relax a lot,” Thompson said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “Sometimes I forget just how successful and how lucky I’ve been to be a part of the championship teams and All-Star games and gold medals. You want to get back to that level so badly, you can kind of get in your own way.”
“Rather than forcing it, we had a conversation about just enjoying this last chapter of my career and how lucky I truly am to still be playing this game and do it at a high level and be a better mentor for the young guys, lead by example. Have my energy right every game. He helped me realize if I do have negative energy how that affects the team in a poor manner.”
Thompson snapped out of his shooting slump as he scored 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting surpassing New York Knicks legend Richie Guerin (14,676) on the all-time scoring list.
The 33-year-old Thompson is playing for his next contract after he and the Warriors were far apart in their extension talks in the offseason.
With his future hanging over his head, Thompson became prone to shooting slumps such as when he shot 8-of-34 from the floor and 6-of-22 from deep during their 3-game losing streak before Tuesday’s win.
Stephen Curry Breaks Ankles, Shooting Slump in Warriors Win
Warriors superstar Stephen Curry broke Magic’s Jalen Suggs’ ankles in several highlight plays on his way to a big night.
“Steph was amazing,” Kerr told reporters after a much-needed win. “But Steph is always amazing. Even when he doesn’t score 36 points, just the attention he draws defensively, what he does to an opposing defense, the way he opens up the floor, he’s a remarkable player. He really got himself going on a night when we needed it.”
Curry dropped 36 points on 12-of-20 from the field as he shot above 50% for the first time in his last four games. During Golden State’s 3-game slide, Curry struggled to shoot just 31% — an uncharacteristic for the greatest shooter in NBA history.
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