Pacific Notes: Green, Ellis, Clippers, Lakers

Warriors forward Draymond Green is getting banged up while playing the center position for the team, Anthony Slater of The Athletic writes. On Tuesday, Green dealt with lower back soreness and was listed as questionable against the Grizzlies but managed to come in and play well. He had a three-and-a-half-hour treatment session before that game.

Green is taking a proactive approach to his injury management so that he can stay on the floor as much as possible. Golden State is leaning heavily on the former Defensive Player of the Year as the team moves away from lineups featuring two non-shooters. Green doesn’t take the floor with Kevon Looney anymore and only plays alongside Trayce Jackson-Davis in short stretches.

Green being able to play center is helping the Warriors play Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga together, with that trio being a plus-70 in 377 minutes. Still, it doesn’t come without its toll.

“It’s definitely more taxing because at the five you are involved in every possession,” Green said. “At the four, fours don’t crash every time. You may not have to box out every possession. At the five, you got to box out every play. Fives are trying to get the ball every play. Even something as simple as that, let’s call it 20 more box outs a game. That’s contact. That’s a battle. So it’s definitely more taxing. But I’m cut out for it.”

Given Green’s injuries, Slater ponders whether it’s sustainable to have him keep playing the five or whether it’s something that could be avoided.

“I can do it. I’m cut out for it,” Green said. “I don’t overly worry about it because I know we have fives that are perfectly capable of taking over and doing what we need them to do. It’s not something I think about.”

We have more from the Pacific Division:

• Kings guard Keon Ellis began the year on a two-way contract but saw it converted to a standard deal. He’s impressing in an expanded role, with the Kings now 7-1 with Ellis in the starting lineup. Entering Thursday, the Kings were undefeated with Ellis in the starting five (before losing to the Wizards), and were outscoring opponents by 84 points when he was on the floor, according to FOX 40 Sacramento’s Sean Cunningham (Twitter link).
• The Clippers seemed to lose their way in recent games after winning 25 of 30 games in the middle of the season, the Los Angeles Times’ Broderick Turner writes. However, they found themselves again in a win over the Trail Blazers on Wednesday, winning 116-103. “We just happen to be going through a tough stretch,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “But we know who we are. You’re not going to win every game. We understand that. We understand that we can play better. We understand that. But let’s start with executing on both sides of the basketball. We know what our identity is and who we are.” The team’s defense, in particular, stood out as Los Angeles continues to develop its competitive identity, Turner writes.
• The round of 64 of the men’s NCAA Tournament kicked off Thursday, and Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times identified 10 prospects the Lakers should be scouting. Baylor’s Yves Missi and Ja’Kobe Walter, Duke’s Jared McCain and Kansas’s Johnny Furphy are among some of the more likely names to be available where L.A’s pick currently sits (No. 14). However, it’s crucial to note that the Lakers don’t have the rights to their own pick this season. As part of the Anthony Davis trade, the Lakers owe this pick to the Pelicans. As Woike points out, though, the Pelicans have the option to defer this pick to 2025 in what is considered to be a stronger class. It’s possible New Orleans takes its chances on next year’s class and lets L.A. keep its own ’24 pick.