The Golden State Warriors have gone 5-1 since Draymond Green got suspended for his punch on Phoenix Suns star Jusuf Nurkic. While Green obviously isn’t to blame for the team’s early-season struggles, his absence may have been a blessing in disguise.
Coach Steve Kerr has had no choice but to shake things up a little and give different players a longer leash. Jonathan Kuminga has been stellar in that starting power forward role, and it’ll be interesting to see how he’ll deal with his minutes once Green is ready to come back.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Green has been attending virtual counseling sessions to monitor his progress regarding his repeated physical altercations with rival players:
“Beyond individual counseling sessions, suspended Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green is participating in periodic virtual meetings designed to chart his progress toward reinstatement that include team, league and union officials,” Woj reported.
Green Is On Board With The Suspension
Notably, Green was suspended indefinitely for his repeated entanglement in these kinds of altercations. He has been ejected three times and suspended twice in less than half a season, which is why the league established certain criteria before reinstating him:
“These Zoom meetings are playing a role in how the NBA, National Basketball Players Association and the Warriors measure Green’s progress toward working through whatever issues might have contributed to repeated violent episodes with opponents and a former teammate,” added Woj.
Notably, all parties, including Green, admitted that being away from the game indefinitely would be the best approach for him after already being suspended once this season:
“The NBA, NBPA, the Warriors and Green played roles in curating this unique, open-ended suspension, but the NBA has the final say on Green’s eventual return. The league proposed this idea after successive violent encounters in November against Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert and against Nurkic,” continued Woj.
He Will Return Soon
Fortunately for the Warriors, it won’t be long before the Warriors have their best defender back on the floor. According to Wojnarowski, the Warriors could expect him back in the next four to six games, with his return most likely coming in early January:
“Green is allowed to condition and practice with the Warriors, but it is unlikely he returns to the team facility on a regular basis before early January,” Woj reported. “Among those involved in this process, there’s a general belief that his suspension will cover a range of 11 to 13 games — barring any setbacks.”
Green is obviously one of the biggest leaders and strongest voices on the team, so not having him out there has a big impact, regardless of their winning record without him.
The Warriors kind of hit a brick wall earlier in the campaign, and it looked like they weren’t going to be able to turn things around. But now that they’ve finally found their stride again, one can only imagine that they’re going to be even better once Green is ready to come back, regardless of if he comes off the bench or takes his starting spot back from Kuminga.
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