Draymond Green’s back injury trending in a “positive direction”

The Golden State Warriors provided an injury update on Tuesday afternoon regarding the status of power forward Draymond Green. He has been listed as inactive for the past 12 games but looks to be improving after a re-examination has him trending in a “positive direction”.

Although the update is a bit vague, the fact that the team is saying Green is improving aligns with what he said last week during an appearance on TNT:

Green’s injury situation has been a bit strange. It started on the night of Klay Thompson’s return to NBA action. Green was listed as a starter but would then go on to foul the opposition after the opening tip-off and sit the rest of the match with a calf injury that flared up during pregame warm-ups. Several games later, the team announced that Green’s calf injury was actually a back injury that was impacting his calf. The date of his return to play kept getting pushed back to what now seems to be after the All-Star Break for his possible return.

Back injuries are always a cause for concern and the Warriors have consistently erred on the side of caution when it comes to injuries this season. This is mostly due to their success in the regular season which gives them the luxury to be safe with their players while ensuring they are as healthy as possible for the postseason.

When Green was on the court, he played at a Defensive Player of the Year level while serving as one of the primary playmakers on offense. The timing couldn’t have been worse for Green’s injury as it coincided with Thompson’s return. This update should give hope to Warriors fans that they will see the Big 3 of Green, Thompson, and Stephen Curry share the court once again this season.