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The Golden State Warriors enjoyed a #FullSquad Game One to open their series against the Denver Nuggets, but because it’s the 2021-22 season, those 48 minutes of healthiness couldn’t possibly last. Thanks to some neck spasms popping up a few hours before tip off, Andre Iguodala is doubtful for Game Two.
Neck spasms for Andre Iguodala. Late addition to the injury report. Doubtful tonight.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 19, 2022
Iguodala played 13 minutes in Saturday night’s series opener, dishing out four assists and blocking a shot. The team managed to limit his minutes, but was there any play that could have injured the Dubs’ Teammate of the Year finalist?
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Running into the Joker will definitely knock you out for a game or two. Jokic shoved Markieff Morris in the back back in November, and he missed the next 58 games. Andre missed two months himself with back soreness before returning in late March, and has been held out of back-to-back games since then, in order to preserve his 38-year-old body for the playoffs.
Does this mean the Warriors will go to rookie Jonathan Kuminga, who despite a series of impressive scoring efforts found himself out of the rotation after injured veterans returned? Not necessarily.
If Andre Iguodala can’t go, Steve Kerr said he might just go with a 9-man rotation or could add another option in his place (Kuminga likeliest candidate). Kerr: “Most teams don’t play 10 in the playoffs.”
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 19, 2022
Kerr is right, most teams don’t play 10 guys in the playoffs. But the Warriors aren’t most teams, and Kerr has been known to play 12 guys in important playoff games. With the likelihood that Nikola Jokic will shoot more than the two free throws he attempted in Game One, foul trouble might force Kerr’s hand. Kuminga scored 18 games in the final regular season game against the Nuggets in Denver, with the majority of his damage coming when Boogie Cousins was in for Jokic. That’s a matchup Kerr might be too tempted to exploit, despite how little the team seems to want to play teenagers in the playoffs.
In other injury news, Steph Curry was reportedly feeling well after scoring 16 points off the bench in Game One. Kenny Atkinson’s leg is feeling fine, and James Wiseman is out, but we imagine he’s out there somewhere, still ramping up.
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