Draymond Green made his regular-season debut for the Warriors on Friday, going 0-3 from the field in 18 minutes of action. Coach Steve Kerr is glad to have Green back in the lineup but understands that the forward is going to need some time to get into game shape.
“He looked like a guy who missed training camp and has been working his way to get onto the floor,” Kerr said after the game vs. the Blazers, via Nick Friedell of ESPN.com.
“He got a really tough break coming into the season with the COVID protocols, and so it’s going to take him some time. I’m glad to have him back, and he needs a few games under his belt to get that conditioning and that rhythm, but there’s no question it’s going to take some time.”
The Warriors may need more from Green immediately with James Wiseman suffering an ankle injury in the contest. Kerr told reporters that it’s not a serious injury and the rookie is expected to play on Sunday, however, it remains to be seen how much the organization wants to push the No. 2 overall pick.
Golden State went into the season without Klay Thompson because of an Achilles injury and the franchise lost big man Marquise Chriss to a broken leg just one week into the 2020-21 campaign.