Four-time All-Star Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green can’t seem to quit his lingering back injury. After being sidelined against the Dallas Mavericks last week with what was described by the team as lower back soreness, the 6’6″ vet has been downgraded ahead of the club’s matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies with the same ailment. Per Anthony Slater of The Athletic, Green isn’t the only Dubs champion who may sit out. Third-year forward Moses Moody has been ruled as questionable due to a sore left knee.
Draymond Green is questionable against the Grizzlies tomorrow night with lower back soreness. He missed a game in Dallas last week because of it. Moses Moody is questionable with left knee soreness. He left last night’s game because of it.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) March 19, 2024
Green, 34, has been dealing with plenty of challenges off and on the floor this year. The Michigan State University product was suspended by the NBA indefinitely following an on-court attack against Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic in December. This ruling was determined in part due to the cumulative impact of Green’s play. He had also put Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert into a choke hold during a dispute the month prior, and was suspended for five games at the time for that infraction. He wound up sitting out 12 contests as he sought counseling after the Nurkic clash. He has apparently continued treatment since returning. His physical play, meanwhile, has yielde
On the court, he has more or less looked like his All-Defensive Team self, albeit with a little less athleticism than he possessed during his Defensive Player of the Year prime. One interesting development this season has been a return to solid three point shooting. Across the 42 contests he’s been available to play, Green is averaging 8.8 points from the floor, 7.1 rebounds, six assists, 0.9 blocks and 0.8 steals a night, all in line with his career averages. He’s connecting on 40.6% of his 2.4 attempts from long range. Green hadn’t averaged better than 30.8% from distance since the 2015-16 season, his first All-Star berth.
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images
In part, the three point shooting boon has happened because he’s being left wide open on a team filthy with long range snipers, highlighted by All-NBA point guard Stephen Curry. The 35-32 Warriors need their best defender on the hardwood, especially in a game they by all accounts should win against one of the dregs of the Western Conference. The Grizzlies are currently 23-46 on the year, and though they haven’t officially been eliminated from postseason contention just yet, they’re certainly begging to be put out of their misery.
Will Green suit up? Time will tell. But the Warriors could sure use him down the stretch of the 2023-24 season, as the West’s tenth seed, with the No. 11-seeded Houston Rockets circling.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.