Draymond Green Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Warriors Notes: Curry, Green, Wiseman, Looney, Kerr

March 15th, 2022 at 10:09am CST by Luke Adams

Warriors star Stephen Curry went off for 47 points in Monday’s win over Washington, his second-highest point total of the season and his highest single-game mark since Draymond Green went down with a back injury in early January. After the game, head coach Steve Kerr said there was “100 percent” a correlation between Green’s return on Monday and Curry’s big night, according to Kendra Andrews of ESPN.

“It changed for Steph right away, as soon as Draymond got out there,” Kerr said. “The chessboard changes with Draymond out there. With Steph, everything looks and feels a little bit different.”

Curry and Green only shared the court for 15 minutes, but Green’s impact on the former MVP was immediately apparent. Curry poured in 41 of his 47 points with Green on the court, scoring just six points on 3-of-9 shooting in the 20 minutes he played without him.

“When I’m not out there and when I’m watching, I see things that can be done that can help him out,” Green said, per Andrews. “He’s the greatest shooter we’ve ever seen. But you still have to screen, and you still have to find him in good spots and make sure he gets good shots and easy looks as opposed to tough looks all the time.”

Here’s more on the Warriors:

Prior to Monday’s game, Kerr told reporters that Green won’t be in the starting lineup for his first few games back, per Andrews. The former Defensive Player of the Year will also be restricted to about 20-to-23 minutes per game for the next week or two, and he’s OK with that. “I’m usually against any restrictions. I hate them,” Green said. “… (But) I am actually very inviting of it this time around. I know I need it. I know I need them to protect me from myself.”
After playing with the Santa Cruz Warriors on Thursday and Sunday, second-year center James Wiseman will play another G League game on Tuesday, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. According to Kerr, the team hasn’t made any further decisions on Wiseman, who is working his way back from knee surgery.
Green’s return will likely cut into Kevon Looney‘s playing time, but Looney’s importance to the organization has never been felt more than it has this season, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. As Thompson details, Looney has made a major impact both on the court – with Green and Wiseman unavailable for much of the season – and off it, with teammates like Jordan Poole praising the big man’s veteran leadership.
Tim Kawakami of The Athletic explores how Kerr has gotten creative managing the Warriors’ rotation this season while incorporating rookies and dealing with injuries and slumps, noting that the veteran head coach will have an increasing number of options available to him as the team gets healthier.

Injury Notes: G. Hill, D. Green, Suggs, Vanderbilt

March 14th, 2022 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

While his return will likely be overshadowed by Brook Lopez‘s, another key Bucks contributor appears poised to be available on Monday night in Utah. Veteran guard George Hill no longer shows up on Milwaukee’s injury report after missing the last 17 games due to neck soreness.

[RELATED: Brook Lopez To Return On Monday]

Prior to his injury, Hill had been a regular part of the Bucks’ backcourt rotation, starting 16 of his 41 games and averaging 25.5 minutes per contest. While his shooting numbers this season (.436 FG%, .316 3PT%) are well below his career rates, the 35-year-old will give the club another ball-handling and floor-spacing option down the stretch, and he won’t shy away from the postseason spotlight this spring — Hill has appeared in 139 career playoff games.

Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:

Warriors forward Draymond Green is officially set to return on Monday after being sidelined since early January with a back issue, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Green, who no longer appears on Golden State’s injury report, said last week that he was targeting March 14 for his return.
After missing games on March 5 and March 8 due to a right ankle sprain, Magic rookie Jalen Suggs doesn’t appear to have put that issue fully behind him. He left Sunday’s game early, with the team again citing a sprained right ankle (Twitter link).
Timberwolves forward Jarred Vanderbilt will be unavailable on Monday for a second straight game due to a left quad contusion, tweets Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. Discussing Vanderbilt’s status on Saturday, Wolves head coach Chris Finch called it “kind of an odd” injury. “The only way to loosen it up is by moving, but it hurts too much to move,” Finch said (Twitter link via Hine). “Just got to keep working on it. The way he plays, he needs all of his physical attributes to be highly impactful.”

Pacific Notes: Westbrook, Kings, Ranadive, Wiseman

March 10th, 2022 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

Having faced criticism for his underwhelming play with the Lakers throughout the 2021/22 season, former MVP Russell Westbrook told reporters this week that he believes some of the disrespect he has received from fans this season has crossed a line.

“When it comes to basketball, I don’t mind the criticism of missing and making shots. But the moment it becomes where my name is getting shamed, it becomes an issue,” Westbrook said, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. “… ‘Westbrick,’ for example, to me, is now shaming. It’s shaming my name, my legacy for my kids. It’s a name that means, not just to me, but to my wife, to my mom, my dad, the ones that kind of paved the way for me.”

Westbrook said he no longer feels comfortable bringing his children to games because he doesn’t want them to hear the comments he gets from fans — or to face any harassment themselves. His wife, Nina Westbrook, stated on social media this week that she has had “obscenities and death wishes” sent her way.

Addressing his point guard’s comments, Lakers head coach Frank Vogel indicated on Wednesday that he and the team are throwing their support behind Westbrook and his family, according to Kyle Goon of The Southern California News Group.

“He’s an important player for us, he’s a part of our family,” Vogel said. “And anytime a player is feeling that type of impact at home with his family, that is a big concern and should be handled with care. And I hope people can respect what he had to say postgame the other night, because it should never come to that.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report considers how the Westbrook situation might play out this summer, suggesting that it wouldn’t be out of the question for the Lakers to waive or buy out the 33-year-old, stretching his $47MM salary for 2022/23 across three seasons to gain more short-term financial flexibility. One source told Pincus the Rockets hope to revisit a potential Westbrook/John Wall swap, but other sources were skeptical the Lakers would have any more interest in that scenario this summer than they did during the season.
The Kings were the latest team to take part in what has become a trend this season, issuing a statement on Wednesday to say they disagreed with the NBA’s decision to suspend Domantas Sabonis. Previously, the Heat stated that they disagreed with the league’s decision to take away a second-round pick for their early pursuit of Kyle Lowry in free agency, while the Bucks publicly took exception to Grayson Allen‘s one-game suspension.
According to Scott Soshnick and Brendan Coffey of Sportico, Kings owner Vivek Ranadive is preparing a bid for English soccer club Chelsea FC, which is currently up for sale. Sportico recently projected Chelsea’s value to be $3.35 billion.
With James Wiseman nearing a return, Anthony Slater of The Athletic explores how the Warriors might use him down the stretch, especially when they’re trying to build momentum for the postseason and also reintegrate Draymond Green. In Slater’s view, dedicating a few minutes per half to a second unit led by a Jordan Poole/Wiseman pick-and-roll game could make sense for Golden State.

Warriors Notes: Wiseman, Center Rotation, Moody, Kirk Lacob

March 8th, 2022 at 8:30pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Second-year Warriors center James Wiseman is scheduled to play in two games for Golden State’s G League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, this week, per a team press release. Wiseman has recovered enough from a pair of procedures on his knee to be cleared to play in a game situation.

According to Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link), while there’s still no official target date for Wiseman’s NBA return “whispers” indicate it could happen during an upcoming home stand at the Chase Center, from March 12-20. Sources tell Kendra Andrews of ESPN that Wiseman is “highly unlikely” to become a permanent part of Golden State’s playoff-bound rotation, but he is projected to earn occasional spot minutes.

The seven-footer, still just 20, was selected with the No. 2 pick out of Memphis in the 2020 draft. In his 39 healthy NBA games to this point, he has averaged 11.5 PPG and 5.8 RPG. His lack of experience will likely preclude him from being more than the Warriors’ third center this year.

There’s more out of the Chase Center:

Though the Warriors could benefit from an additional reserve center behind starter Kevon Looney, the team appears to have prioritized wings as it makes a postseason push, writes Tim Kawakami of The Athletic. Kawakami notes that 6’7″ starting power forward Draymond Green remains the club’s most effective center as a small-ball option, adding that Wiseman could work as a backup big in certain situations.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has identified rookie wing Moses Moody as a key piece for Golden State moving forward, per Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (Twitter link). “He’s a keeper,” Kerr raved after Moody scored a career-high 30 points in Denver on Monday.. “He’s a guy who’s going to be a cornerstone for this team for a long time to come. It’s easy to see that right now in his rookie year.”
As part of his NBA 40 Under 40 series, Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic interviews Warriors executive vice president of basketball operations Kirk Lacob, noting that the son of team majority owner Joe Lacob, has become a trusted voice for team president Bob Myers. The younger Lacob discussed how the team handles player development with a new youth-heavy roster. “We’ve got someone on the coaching staff who is solely kind of dedicated as the director of player development and their job is to make sure players have development courses at every part of their career, and that the coaching staff is on the same kind of alignment as the performance team because that’s a whole other player element is your physical performance,” he said. “On the front office side, we’ve got a whole group and we call them team development, but part of team development is player development.”

Draymond Green Targeting March 14 Return

March 7th, 2022 at 10:57pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Warriors forward Draymond Green expects to return next Monday, March 14 against Washington, he said on his podcast (video link; hat tip to Marc Stein).

“That is the day I’m targeting,” Green said. “It’s been almost two-and-a-half months. I’ve never missed that much time during a season. … This is something different for me. I’m excited to get back out there with my guys to try to help right the ship.”

Green has been sidelined since early January due to a back injury. Golden State could certainly use the boost. The team has lost five straight and nine of its last 11 games.

The Warriors have three more games before Green’s target date — home games against the Clippers on Tuesday and the Bucks on Saturday sandwiching a road stop in Denver on Thursday.

The Warriors were 29-7 before Green was forced to the sidelines. He was averaging 7.9 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 7.4 APG, 1.4 SPG and 1.2 BPG in 34 games.

Green’s defensive presence has been sorely missed, especially in recent games. The Warriors have allowed 122 or more points in their last four contests.

Warriors Notes: Green, Offense, Wiseman, Moody

March 4th, 2022 at 10:38am CST by Luke Adams

Asked by Anthony Slater of The Athletic after Thursday’s loss to Dallas about when he thinks he’ll return to action, Warriors forward Draymond Green said he’s aiming to be back in “a couple weeks.”

Green stated during the All-Star Game in Cleveland last month that he hoped to return within three or four weeks. That was 12 days ago, so it appears his recovery timeline hasn’t changed since then.

As we relayed earlier this week, Green has started doing 3-on-3 work, so 4-on-4 and 5-on-5 reps will likely follow. According to Slater, the next couple weeks may be more about Green getting his conditioning and rhythm back than anything else, since he wasn’t able to run or do much cardio work while he was resting his back injury.

Here’s more on the Warriors:

In an in-depth story for ESPN.com, Kendra Andrews examines what Green means to the Warriors not just on defense, but on offense. Prior to his injury, Green ranked second on the team in touches per game (73.6) and first in assists (7.4). Head coach Steve Kerr believes Green’s absence has had an impact on players like Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole, who benefit from his play-making. “Understand that, especially without Draymond for this extended stretch, our offense is a little different,” Stephen Curry said. “There is a lot more responsibility in terms of play-making, being on the ball and handling that attention.”
One Warriors coach told Andrews that James Wiseman is highly unlikely to be a big part of the Warriors’ regular rotation this season, especially in the playoffs. Golden State believes the young center can help in certain situations, but is more focused on what he can do for the team in future seasons, which Kerr hinted at when he discussed Wiseman’s status on Thursday. “This guy needs reps. He needs a thousand reps,” Kerr said (Twitter link via Slater). “He needs a Summer League, he needs a training camp. So let’s temper the expectations, but be excited about his future, because as he gets those reps, he’s got the potential to be a tremendous player.”
Kerr said after Thursday’s game that he expects rookie Moses Moody to continue getting rotation minutes going forward, according to Slater. Moody’s playing time has been inconsistent this year, but he has appeared in 11 of the Warriors’ last 13 games, starting five of them, and has acquitted himself well. On Thursday, he scored 13 fourth-quarter points on 5-of-5 shooting.

Warriors Notes: Wiggins, Green, Thompson, Moody

March 2nd, 2022 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

When the Warriors were tearing through the league earlier this season, they benefited from a strong performance by Andrew Wiggins, who played well enough to a starting spot in the All-Star Game. But Golden State has slumped recently, dropping three of its last four games and barely holding off Memphis for second place in the West, and Wiggins’ downturn has been a huge reason why, writes Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Injuries have affected the Warriors, who have been without Draymond Green for seven weeks and Andre Iguodala for three weeks. Klay Thompson sat out the past two games with an illness, leaving Stephen Curry surrounded by a collection of young talent and role players. The team needed Wiggins to fill the void, and he hasn’t been doing it, Poole observes.

Wiggins just completed his least productive month since his rookie season in 2014, Poole adds, and his first game of March wasn’t encouraging. After scoring eight early points Tuesday night, Wiggins spent much of the game “floating around” and “standing in space,” according to Poole, who states that it brings back memories of the underachiever reputation that Wiggins had when he played in Minnesota.

There’s more on the Warriors:

The organization plans to have Green around his teammates more often as he works his way back into playing shape following a lower back injury, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Green has been doing most of his rehab work on his own, but players and coaches believe he raises the spirits of the team and demands accountability from others. Coach Steve Kerr says Green continues to “make strides” toward a return and recently competed in a 3-on-3 scrimmage, Slater tweets.
Thompson had a “raging headache” after last Thursday’s game and felt sick for several days, but he traveled to Dallas with the team and plans to play tomorrow night (video link from Slater).“I’m playing,” he told reporters. “I didn’t come all the way to Dallas to watch.”
Rookie guard Moses Moody made his sixth start of the season Tuesday, but he had to leave the game with a left eye contusion, the Warriors announced on Twitter. “He got poked in the eye,” Kerr said after the game, per Cody Taylor of Yahoo Sports. “I think he got elbowed by (Karl-Anthony) Towns on a drive. He went up to go vertical and he got elbowed in the eye and it is pretty bad. His eye is swollen shut.”

Draymond Green Back At Practice, Optimistic About Return

February 26th, 2022 at 7:07pm CST by Arthur Hill

Draymond Green practiced with his Warriors teammates today for the first time since injuring his lower back in early January, writes Kendra Andrews of ESPN.

Green went through 5-on-0 conditioning and participated in shooting drills and “a lot” of other drills during today’s session. He told Andrews that he has improved a lot in the weeks since suffering the injury.

“My progress has been tremendous,” Green said. “I think, where I am today, if you knew where I was eight weeks ago or seven weeks ago, it’s night and day.”

Green was cleared to resume basketball activities in late January, but he was limited to individual workouts until today. A lot of those involved lifting weights, and Green said he can feel the benefits.

“I’m stronger than I’ve ever been in my life,” he said. “… I spent six weeks just sitting in the weight room, working in there for four, five hours a day.”

According to Andrews, the Warriors’ training staff will monitor Green’s conditioning, strength and explosiveness to determine when he can resume scrimmaging and eventually return to game action. There are no set standards that Green has to reach, and the decision will be determined by his progress.

During coverage of Sunday’s All-Star Game, Green estimated that he might be ready in three to four weeks. He was less definite today, but said he anticipates playing in at least a few games before the regular season ends.

“As soon as I feel like I’m whole and can get back out there and get my feet back under me before the playoffs, great,” Green said. “If that’s 15 games, fantastic. If it’s 10, I’ll make do. If it’s five, then five is going to have to work.”

Injury Updates: Warriors, George, Smart, Porzingis

February 24th, 2022 at 1:50pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran swingman Andre Iguodala continues to deal with back soreness and is out for the Warriors Thursday night at Portland, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. The 38-year-old, who missed 13 of Golden State’s last 14 games leading into the All-Star break, has been productive when healthy, but has played just 26 games to this point.

Draymond Green and James Wiseman are also out Thursday, Slater reports in the same tweet. Wiseman did travel with the team, however, and appears to be inching closer to a return, as he was a full participant in Golden State’s scrimmage Wednesday night, per Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link). A recent report indicated Wiseman might make his season debut on March 1, but coach Steve Kerr says there are no firm next steps for when the young big man will return.

Green has been dealing with a back/disc injury and said during All-Star Weekend that he hopes to return within three or four weeks.

Here are some more injury-related updates from around the league:

Clippers star Paul George, who’s currently sidelined with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, was scheduled to have an MRI on Thursday but it has been pushed back to Friday, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
Celtics guard Marcus Smart suffered an ankle injury February 15 at Philadelphia, but he says it’s gotten better over the All-Star break. “Feeling pretty good. Honestly, the night of the injury was pretty harsh for me. Couldn’t put any pressure on it, but over the break, was able to get some sun and did some cool things to work on it. Swelling’s gone down,” Smart said (Twitter link via Jared Weiss of The Athletic).
The Wizards traded for Kristaps Porzingis on February 10, but it sounds like they’ll continue to have to wait for his debut. He wasn’t a full participant in practice Wednesday or Thursday and coach Wes Unseld Jr. says Porzingis will be ramped up over a period of time, going from one-on-one to three-on-three then five-on-five. He has no definitive timetable for a return and is considered day-to-day going forward (All Twitter links from Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington).

Draymond Green Hopes To Return Within 3-4 Weeks

February 21st, 2022 at 8:28am CST by Luke Adams

Working his second job as a TNT analyst during Sunday’s All-Star Game, Warriors forward Draymond Green offered a rough timeline for his return from a back/disc injury that has sidelined him since January 9.

Asked by TNT’s Charles Barkley when he’ll be “coming out of retirement,” Green laughed, then replied, “Hopefully within three to four weeks, that’s what I’m shooting for” (video link via Rob Lopez of FanDuel).

As usual, Green’s scoring numbers have been modest this season through 34 games (29.9 MPG), but he has supplemented his 7.9 PPG with 7.6 RPG, 7.4 APG, and stellar defense.

The Warriors still have the NBA’s best defensive rating (104.6), but they haven’t been nearly as effective on that side of the ball since Green went down. That league-best defensive rating was at 101.9 after January 9 — since then, the club has recorded a 109.9 mark.

Golden State is also waiting on James Wiseman‘s return from a knee injury that has kept him on the shelf for the entire 2021/22 season so far. Wiseman, who has participated in 5-on-5 scrimmages, said last week that he’s in the final stages of his rehab process, so the expectation is that both he and Green will be back well before the playoffs get underway in mid-April.