NBA Rumors: Golden State Warriors dealing with key injury to star player
NBA Rumors: The Golden State Warriors will likely have to survive the next few weeks without Draymond Green.
After a somewhat disappointing title defense a year ago, which ended at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals, the Golden State Warriors are hoping that they can get off to a better start to the season this year. It was an inconsistent up-and-down regular season performance that eventually caught up with the Warriors in the long run.
However, there’s already speculation that the Warriors could once again get off to a delayed start this season. That’s because there’s at least a chance Golden State will begin the season without Draymond Green.
According to a recent report, Green sprained his ankle in a pick-up game recently. He’s expected to miss 3-6 weeks. With the start of the season a little more than three weeks out, there’s a good chance that he ends up missing the first week or two, or possibly more, of the regular season.
It could’ve been a lot worse for Draymond Green
Even though that may end up being only 3-6 games, it’s certainly not an ideal situation. Draymond is often considered the heart and soul of the Warriors, especially on the defensive end of the floor, and the fact that Golden State will be trying to incorporate Chris Paul, it’s not what you want to hear.
The Warriors have notoriously struggled without Draymond in the lineup. Last season, the Warriors were 3-6 in games Draymond didn’t play in. Two seasons ago, the Warriors were just 19-17. Draymond is part of the reason why the Warriors have been so dominating over the last decade.
He may not be the primary reason why the Warriors have won four NBA Championships over the last nine years but he helps take the Warriors from being just a really good team to a great one. And missing the first couple of weeks of the season doesn’t just impact those games.
Even once Draymond returns, he’s likely going to take time to get back into rhythm and that could impact the Warriors further.
This is not a terrible injury. There’s no question that it could be a lot worse. But it’s also not an ideal situation for Draymond or the Warriors.
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I’m sure Golden State will survive and they’ll be fine. But for a team that probably wanted to get off to a strong start, this is not the news you want to hear. The Warriors will not be doomed by another slow start to the season but considering how talented the top of the Western Conference is, the Warriors can’t afford to fall behind too far in the standings too quickly.