By the end of Draymond Green’s two-month rehab earlier this year, the Warriors seemed desperate to add him back into the fold. But the returns weren’t immediate, which was to be expected from his lengthy layoff after a back injury.
He hit a crucial milestone in his recovery this past weekend, though. For the first time since returning from his back injury March 14, Draymond Green played in back-to-back games.
“I don’t think he’s all the way back,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday. “But I think he turned a corner, for sure. He looks more energetic, more confident in his movement, the emotion and the passion is there. And it manifests itself in a good way, as a leader of our team. He’s really heading in a great direction.”
Following the Warriors’ scintillating 111-107 comeback win over the Utah Jazz Saturday, Golden State’s defense tightened up in a 109-90 win against the Sacramento Kings Sunday. Draymond logged 33 minutes Saturday before fouling out in 24 minutes Sunday.
“I need reps,” Green said Sunday. “I felt good. They gave me the option to play and I took the option.”
The team’s collective defensive energy from the first half of the season looks like it’s returning. Green noticed it, too. With the stops, the Warriors are able to run out in transition more instead of getting locked into halfcourt sets. Green also pushes the pace on offense and just brings an intensity level the Warriors otherwise lack.
“I think there’s been a few plays defensively where I can kinda feel like me getting my timing and rhythm back and covering up some things,” Green said. “Offensively, I’m starting to find my rhythm, too. I gotta find my touch again. Other than that, I’m starting to find my rhythm. I can’t really pinpoint any specific plays. It just seems like these last few games it’s starting to come together for me.”
Over his past three games, Green is averaging 8.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists, two blocks and one steal per game, which seems like on-brand. He even knocked down both of his 3-point attempts Sunday night. There are still some things to clean up, like his fouling, passing and ball handling, as he is averaging 2.8 turnovers per game since returning and is sitting on 14 technicals for the season, two shy of a mandatory suspension.
“You can almost bet that every season he’s gonna go right up to that line and then not cross the line,” Kerr said. “The only thing we do is occasionally tell him how many he has.”
