Draymond Green recovered after a 12-game suspension
The NBA has reinstated Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green after his 12-game suspension, the league announced Saturday. Green has been undergoing counseling for several weeks and holding progress meetings with the league and Warriors.
“During the period of his suspension, which began on December 14 and resulted in him missing 12 games, Green completed steps that demonstrated his commitment to conforming his conduct to the standards expected of NBA players,” said Joe Dumars, executive vice president and head of the NBA. basketball operations for the NBA, a statement said.
“He has had discussions with an advisor and has held multiple joint meetings with representatives from the NBA, the Warriors and the National Basketball Players Association, both of which will continue throughout the season.”
The following was released by the NBA. pic.twitter.com/dlFtd7okI7
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) January 6, 2024
The four-time NBA champion was suspended indefinitely after punching Suns center Jusuf Nurkić in the face during the Warriors’ Dec. 12 game against Phoenix. Golden State has gone 7-5 in Green’s absence and has a 17-18 record.
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What is the significance of Green’s return?
The Warriors get their best defenseman back. He is a floor coordinator and he is missed.
The Warriors had a defensive rating of 119.8 during his 12-game absence, eighth-worst in the NBA during that stretch. They’ve solved some early-season offensive issues by reducing their turnovers while picking up their pace, but this team can’t be taken seriously until it starts getting more stops. No one in the world – if eligible and physically fit – will help you get stops better than Green. — Anthony Slater, Warriors senior writer
When does he come back?
Green and Rick Celebrini, the team’s chief medical decision maker, will determine that. There will be some kind of scaling up process. He won’t play at home against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday, although Green is eligible. The Warriors will then get two days off before a home game on Wednesday against the Pelicans and then begin a four-game road trip in Chicago next Friday evening. — Leidekker
Biggest Green-related question upon his return
Whose minutes does he get and how long can he stay out of the competition’s sights? Jonathan Kuminga started all twelve games that Green missed and has performed well enough to keep his spot and heavy minutes load. He played just a career-high 36 minutes in the previous match.
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It’s possible the Warriors move Green back into the fold and could theoretically make him their starting center. The night he committed the foul on Nurkić, Kuminga had replaced Kevon Looney in the starting line-up to open the second half and Green had moved up to fifth. — Leidekker
Required reading
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