Injuries have headlined the start of the Golden State Warriors 2019 season, beginning with Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, but almost other every guard on the roster has caught a bite from the injury bug.
D’Angelo Russell, Jacob Evans III and Damion Lee have all missed extended time with hampering injuries. However, for the first time in 2019, the Warriors are looking healthy.
Russell returned from a nine-game absence due to a thumb injury, now both Evans and Lee are nearing a return to the Warriors backcourt. Evans has missed 20 games with a lingering adductor injury, while Lee has missed 12 games with a right-hand fracture. Both players traveled with Golden State on their five-game road trip and have been seen practicing with the team.
Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported, Lee is getting closer to a return, while Steve Kerr told reporters in Chicago, Evans will probably play when the Warriors return to Chase Center against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Damion Lee is taking shots in Chicago right now with the right hand he fractured. Getting closer to a return.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 6, 2019
Steve Kerr says Jacob Evans will probably return on Monday.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 6, 2019
Before the injury, Lee was having a career season with a more significant role in Kerr’s rotation. Lee scored a career-high, 23 points earlier this season against the New Orleans Pelicans. His ability to be a microwave scorer off the bench is exactly what the struggling Warriors could use.
Evans was scheduled to be on the path to a breakout season in 2019, but injuries have stalled his season. Evans was shifting to more of a ball-handling role in his second season while developing a three-point jumper. In the first game of the season, Evans knocked down four-of-six shots from beyond the arc.
Evans and Lee’s return would give the Warriors their healthiest roster since the start of the 2019 season—giving Steve Kerr an actual guard rotation with flexibility.
The guard duo’s return would also give the Warriors some cushion with how they use rookies, Ky Bowman and Jordan Poole. Bowman could be sent to the G League to limit the usage on his 45-day two-way contract, while Poole could use Santa Cruz to build confidence within his shot. Once Lee and Evans return, Golden State will have some actual depth in the backcourt.