Draymond Green is expected to receive a rest day when the Warriors travel to Atlanta for the second leg of a back-to-back. Although it may feel like a case of load management, Green’s day off may be more about his sore heel injury that’s lingering around the former Defensive Player of the Year.
Green missed three-straight games in late November with a heel injury that’s been hampering the Michigan State product’s season.
Green played under 20-minutes in the Warriors tight battle with the Orlando Magic and told reporters after the game that he’s dealing with some inflammation in his heel still.
Draymond Green on his lingering heel issue: pic.twitter.com/eHP80wEd5y
— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) December 2, 2019
“I’m not someone who restricts my minutes because of the nature of the season— I restrict my minutes because my heel and to make sure it’s not something that creeps back up,” Green told reporters in Orlando. “If I was going to restrict my minutes due to the nature of the season, I would have done that a long time ago— it’s not about that.”
Connor Letourneau of The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Kerr could opt to rest Green more throughout the remainder of the season. Green’s one of the only players in 2019 left standing from the core of the championship roster with both “Splash Brothers” injured and Kevin Durant now with the Brooklyn Nets.
Draymond Green is expected to rest tomorrow in Atlanta. This will probably be a relatively routine practice this season.
— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) December 2, 2019
On the positive side, Kevon Looney is expected to return from his neuropathic condition against Atlanta, giving the Warriors some flexibility with their frontcourt. The Warriors are deep enough at forward, and down in the standings that they can be patient with Green’s heel.