Draymond Green is often credited with being the engine of this era of Warriors basketball, the guy who holds the team together and makes them tick. He provided another glimpse of what makes him so valuable in their latest win against the Cleveland Cavaliers despite only being on the floor for 7 seconds during this incredibly special game.
Klay Thompson made his return on Sunday night after missing roughly 2 and a half years of NBA basketball through multiple serious injuries. And the Warriors finally had the opportunity to have their own Big 3 from the 2014-15 championship win on the floor together for the first time since 2019. However, there was a late issue with Green’s fitness after he felt tightness in his left calf during pregame warmups, as Shams Charania confirmed before the game.
Warriors say Draymond Green will be on the court for the opening tip vs. Cavaliers to honor Klay Thompson, but will not participate in the remainder of the game due to left calf tightness he experienced during pregame warmup.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 10, 2022
Dray still wanted to be there for the tip-off on a special night for Klay though, and he ensured that he would be on the court to start the game despite being in pain. After the introductions were done and the game began, Green immediately went up the floor to the Cavs player that had possession and committed a foul that allowed him to be taken out of the game to be replaced by Juan Toscano-Anderson.
Green obviously ended up with terrible stats on the night, recording 0 points, assists or rebounds and ending his involvement with the personal foul. However, his determination to support his teammate at the expense of his own stats exemplifies exactly the sort of mentality that has made Draymond such a winner throughout his NBA career.
Klay’s return ended up going quite smoothly as well, he opened the scoring for the Warriors with a driving floater and even managed an explosive dunk on his way to scoring 17 points in the game. The Warriors ran out as comfortable 96-82 winners after Steph added his own contribution to the night, pouring in 28 points.
