Getty Draymond Green looks on during a game against the Indiana Pacers.
Draymond Green will finally rejoin the Golden State Warriors on Monday, but the All-Star big man could see a different role — and a new rotation — upon his return.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr addressed Green’s impending return, warning that he will not be ready to jump back into his former place in the rotation just yet. Green has been out since January after suffering a back injury, but announced last week that he would return on March 14. His return brings some uncertainty to the lineup, with Kerr suggesting that there could be some changes to the normal rotation heading into the playoffs.
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Green Will Be Restricted in Return
Speaking to reporters after the team’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks, Kerr warned that Green will be limited in his return. As ESPN’s Kendra Andrews noted, the team’s recent surge has given Kerr more options to fill in for Green in the rotation, especially with second-year center James Wiseman set to return soon as well.
“Steve Kerr says coming off a win like this will make it easier to reintegrate Draymond and Wiseman, rather than when the team was struggling,” Andrews tweeted. “He also said that Draymond will have a minute restriction when he returns Monday, but doesn’t know the exact number right now.”
Sources say @Money23Green is targeting March 14 to make his return against the Wizards.
Sources are Draymond.
Because the Warriors found success with a number of different lineup combinations while Green was out, Kerr said that the team could try some different rotations during the playoffs.
“There’s a lot of balls in the air to juggle,” Kerr said, via Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group. We’ve got to figure out quickly what combinations make sense. I think what’s becoming apparent to me this year is we could have a different lineup from game to game in the playoffs, from series to series.
“This is not the Warriors from five years ago where you knew exactly what was coming.”
Kerr did not say how long the minute restriction on Green could last, though the team could be careful given the length of his injury absence. Green’s injury was initially diagnosed as a calf ailment, but it was later found to be a disc injury and his rehab stretched more than three months.
New Faces in Rotation
Kerr has already hinted that there could be some big changes coming to the playoff rotation. Jordan Poole, now removed from a weeks-long slump, has joined Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in the starting lineup and closing rotation and Kerr hinted that he could keep the group intact for the playoffs.
“I do like the Jordan [Poole], Steph [Curry], Klay [Thompson] combination,” Kerr said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “There’s a lot of proof that those three guys play well together.”
He’s baaaack!
Draymond Green will return to the lineup tomorrow night against the Wizards.
Curry backed the idea of Poole playing with the Splash Brothers more often, noting that defenses were forced into a “pick your poison” decision about which scoring threat to focus on the most.
The Warriors could have more options for the rotation soon as well. Key reserves Andre Iguodala, Gary Payton, and Otto Porter Jr. are all set to return soon, giving Kerr more options and greater depth.
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