Draymond Green is set to return to the lineup for the Golden State Warriors. He has missed the previous 16 games on the schedule while serving what was an open-ended, NBA mandated suspension for his repeated on-court incidents, but will likely be back in the starting lineup when the team takes the court on Monday afternoon against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Draymond Green Will Make His Return To An NBA Court Tonight
Draymond Green is expected to return Monday vs. Grizzlies after a 16-game absence, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/r4OV7Obhsa
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 14, 2024
Things haven’t been going well for Golden State in his absence. It initially looked like they wouldn’t skip a beat, as the team won 5 of their first 6 games of Green’s suspension, but have gone just 3-7 since Christmas and are entering the day sitting in 12th place in the Western Conference. Superstar guard Steph Curry has had some noticeably poor games and shooting performances during the stretch, and some have pointed to Draymond’s suspension as a reason why the greatest shooter of all time has struggled a bit as of late.
How much of a difference will he make on the court once he returns? Green was never a big stat producer, but his minutes and numbers took a slight dip in the early-season games that he played in this year, and seemed to have more head-scratching errors than moments of positive impact on his team. It didn’t help that he was rarely available anyway, as he was ejected in 3 of the 15 games that he’s played so far (20%) and was already suspended by the NBA earlier in the year for choking Rudy Gobert.
Rotations Will Shift With Green Returning
Draymond Green says everything was starting to get “too much” for him and almost retired
(🎥 @TheVolumeSports) pic.twitter.com/FT0jErQABb
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 8, 2024
There will be a shift in the rotations, as well. There hasn’t been just one player that has come in and replaced Draymond Green and his minutes. Instead, it has been a group of guys who have seen a slight increase in both their playing time and roles on the team, and it has benefitted some of the younger guys on the Warriors’ roster.
The team has used a multitude of different starting lineups over the past month, with players like Brandin Podziemski and Dario Saric getting the first team nod depending on matchups. Rookie center Trayce Jackson-Davis has also been enjoying a more consistent role, playing big minutes in each game since Green’s suspension after playing less than 13 total minutes in the eight games leading up to it.
One of the biggest contributors has been Jonathan Kuminga, who has been at his best in the most recent games. The third-year NBA player has put up 28 and 24 points in the last two contests for the Warriors, but will likely see a slight decrease in his minutes and role was Green is back.
The Warriors are listed as a 7.5 point favorite for tonight’s game.
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