/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68585846/usa_today_14099117.0.jpg)
Draymond Green will miss his third straight game to start the season. The three-time All-Star and former Defensive Player of the Year was hoping to return on Sunday for the Golden State Warriors game against the Chicago Bulls, but will instead stay sidelined with a sore foot.
Draymond Green remains out tonight against the Bulls.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) December 27, 2020
Green received praise from coach Steve Kerr for his form in practice on Saturday, though he admitted that his conditioning was not where it needed to be. The forward missed the bulk of training camp after contracting the coronavirus, and then injured his foot a few days before the season, so he hasn’t had much of an opportunity to work on conditioning.
Draymond Green, who scrimmaged today, says he wants to play tomorrow and his "body feels amazing" but his wind is "somewhere in hell, so I gotta get that back."
— Wes Goldberg (@wcgoldberg) December 26, 2020
While it’s frustrating for fans and the team to have to keep waiting, it’s certainly a matter of better safe than sorry. The Warriors already suffered a potentially season-ending injury over the weekend when Marquese Chriss broke his leg during practice; the last thing they need is for their second-best player to get injured because he returned before his conditioning was ready.
It feels weird to say, but given how bad the Warriors have been through two games, they’ll likely have their hands full against a bad Bulls squad, since they won’t have Green or Chriss.
Smart money would have Green returning on Tuesday for the road trip finale against the Detroit Pistons.
Update: Steve Kerr has ruled Green out for Tuesday’s game as well.
Steve Kerr says Draymond Green is out for Tuesday as well as today.
— Brady Klopfer (@BradyKlopferNBA) December 27, 2020