Draymond Green (right foot sprain), as previously suspected, will not be available for the Warriors’ game tonight against the Jazz, as Anthony Slater, ESPN’s Warriors Insider, has confirmed the veteran forward’s absence from the game, per their latest injury report.
Green suffered a right foot sprain when seven-foot forward Donovan Clingan of the Trail Blazers landed on it on Friday during a scramble for the loose ball during the Warriors’ 123-127 loss at home.
This is a big hit on the Warriors’ previously depleted frontcourt as Green joins Jonathan Kuminga and Al Horford on the sidelines out of the rotation for this game. Jonathan Kuminga (bilateral knee tendinitis) will miss his sixth consecutive game, and Al Horford (right sciatic nerve irritation) will be sidelined for at least a week after this game.
According to Slater’s report, Jonathan Kuminga was expected to return to scrimmages by now, but there has reportedly been a setback in that timeline.
“The MRI on Kuminga’s knees came back clean, sources told ESPN, so there is no structural damage. He has been reporting soreness for about two weeks, and the Warriors were hopeful he would scrimmage on Sunday, but he didn’t,” wrote Slater.
Therefore, despite no structural damage to his knee, Kuminga has been sidelined due to his own complaints of soreness, not due to any decision by the coaching staff. When Steve Kerr was asked for an update on Kuminga, even he was a bit perplexed about how to give an estimated timeline on his return.
“Kind of, he did a few things,” said Kerr to the Warriors media on Sunday after practice on whether he had Kuminga back in training.
“I don’t know where [he’s at], he’s got to tell you where he is. He didn’t do anything. We didn’t do scrimmages, but we did live drill work, and he didn’t do any of that. So he’s not moving well. The training staff is working with him. I have no idea what he’s been doing,” he further added.
Kuminga has been listed day-to-day for almost two weeks now, despite suffering what seems to be an extended period of being sidelined with the injury. Kerr attributes that to the training staff and the work Kuminga has been doing with them.
“He needs to feel better and be able to move better before we put him out there…. we’ve got to figure it out, we missed him,” said Kerr.
The 25-year-old forward had broken into the starter role just earlier this season after a rollercoaster offseason over his contract dispute. Things looked on the rise for Kuminga before he faced this injury setback. He was averaging 13.8 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, while shooting 47.8% from the field before Will Richard took his spot among the starters.
With Green, Kuminga, and Al Horford sidelined today, the Warriors will likely see increased minutes for Quinten Post, Will Richard, and maybe even Trayce Jackson-Davis, who could break back into their rotation in this game against the Jazz.
