Draymond Green listed as questionable for season opener

The Golden State Warriors are less than a week away from kicking off the 2023-24 NBA season by hosting the new-look superteam Phoenix Suns on Opening Night. And they just might have some reinforcements for that game.

Yesterday, Warriors coach Steve Kerr officially ruled Draymond Green as out for the team’s remaining preseason games, which take place tonight against the Sacramento Kings, and Friday against Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.

But Kerr listed Green as “questionable” for Tuesday’s season opener, leaving the door open for the four-time All-Star to take the court in a star-studded contest that features former Warrior Kevin Durant, and new Warrior Chris Paul playing his old team.

Even if Green doesn’t play, this injury update is good news. When he first suffered the ankle injury at the end of September, many had speculated that he might miss the first month of the regular season. That he’s already questionable for the first game of the season suggests that he’ll likely only miss a few games this year, at most.

It’s still unclear what the team’s starting lineup will be once they’re fully healthy, though I’m guessing it will be Green alongside Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, and Kevon Looney, with Paul coming off the bench. But it’s fairly safe to assume that the five-man starting lineup for the preseason — Paul, Curry, Thompson, Wiggins, and Looney — will remain the starting five on Opening Night even if Green returns. Since he won’t have played at all in the preseason, he’ll likely be rusty and on a tight minutes restriction, which would presumably relegate him to the bench until he’s back in the swing of things.