NBA Rumors: Draymond Green to miss 4-6 weeks with ankle sprain
Draymond Green suffered an ankle sprain in Golden State Warriors practice when he stepped on Jonathan Kuminga's foot. With training camp on the horizon, the forward is expected to miss 4-6 weeks. That leaves him in jeopardy of missing the Warriors' opening night game against the Phoenix Suns on Oct. 24.
“I dodged a bullet and learned that today by the way it's (positively) reacting. Even with an MRI you don't see the trend of it immediately. The swelling is down,” Warriors forward @Money23Green tells @andscape about his sprained left ankle he expects to keep him out 4-6 weeks.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 30, 2023
The Warriors signed Green, 33, to a four-year, $100 million extension over the summer. He remains a perennial DPOY candidate and the lifeblood of Golden State's locker room, last season's Jordan Poole blunder notwithstanding. His absence, even for a short period of time, would be deeply felt.
It's a particularly tricky time of year for Green to get hurt. The Warriors' core is intimately familiar with one another, but Green will miss valuable practice reps and a chance to build rapport with new teammates, such as Chris Paul, in camp. Steve Kerr has talked about testing different potential starting units before the games start. That gets more difficult with Green on the sideline.
Green should get back relatively early in the season, but this is another example of the Warriors' rapidly aging core. Injuries are becoming more frequent for Green and his championship-winning teammates. As his athleticism declines with age and the defense naturally begins to fall off, it's fair wonder how well his four-year contract will hold up. Golden State had to sign him, but there is inherent risk with a player in Green's archetype at his age, with his annual dollar value.