Injuries have loomed over the Golden State Warriors for the last two seasons, resulting in the missing out on the playoffs since their run to the NBA Finals in 2019.
This season, the Warriors are 43-20 and well on their way to the playoffs, but injuries have once again limited their success on the floor.
Klay Thompson is still working his way back to full-speed, Draymond Green has been sidelined since Jan. 9, Andre Iguodala has been dealing with some knee problems all year long and James Wiseman has yet to make his season debut, so when should we expect all of these guys back on the floor for Golden State?
With just about a month left of the regular season, the Warriors are running out of time quickly to get their full rotation back out on the floor and ready to go for the playoffs.
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The good news for Golden State though is that everyone is practicing in some capacity for them. On their recent road trip to Dallas, Green, Iguodala, and Wiseman were all seen on the floor practicing to some extent, mostly doing individual work with the Warriors’ coaches and training staff.
A source close to the Warriors organization told NBA Analysis Network that the team is preparing for their full 15-man roster to be active and ready to go by the playoffs, citing that it is possible for Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and James Wiseman to return by the end of March.
Both Green and Iguodala will be key contributors to the Warriors’ potential success in the postseason, but James Wiseman is a big question mark for this team.
The former second overall pick has missed the entire season rehabbing from a meniscus injury suffered last season and he is not expected to be a big part of the Warriors rotation when he returns, according to ESPN’s Kendra Andrews.
Stephen Curry has done a solid job of being the Warriors’ main facilitator and scoring weapon given all the injuries this team has had to deal with over the last few months, but the Warriors have hit a rough patch in their schedule.
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They have lost 7 of their last 9 games by an average of 10.6 points and steady contributions on the offensive end of the floor have been hard to come by outside of Stephen Curry.
The Warriors bench has been one of the best all season in the NBA, as they have averaged 37.1 points per game, but they have struggled as of late and first-time All-Star Andrew Wiggins has had some trouble finding his shot coming out of the All-Star break.
When asked about what has gone wrong recently for the Warriors, Stephen Curry stated, “Really it’s just consistency and focus and IQ, and just understanding how certain teams are trying to execute against us, and what we can do – mostly defensively what we can do to counter that.
“We have a lot of different rotations and lineups and just trying to make adjustments on the fly, but we have to, like coach said, be more connected. Just be more in sync as a five-man unit whoever is out there. We realize how hard it is to win in this league, we say it a lot cuz we have guys who have been around and know what it takes.”
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The Golden State Warriors do not seem to be too concerned about their recent skid, yet the Grizzlies are gaining ground on them in the Western Conference standings and the Warriors are kind of limping into the playoffs at this rate.
“Obviously we’re gonna have to get healthy,” head coach Steve Kerr said after the Warriors’ most recent loss to the Mavericks. “We desperately need Draymond. You guys know that. If we can get Draymond healthy, in rhythm, hopefully with some good amount of action going into the playoffs.”
While his impact scoring is minimal sometimes, Draymond Green may be the best player in NBA history to affect the game outside of scoring. Between rebounding, playing stellar defense, and being the team’s main facilitator and passer, Green takes on multiple different jobs for this Warriors’ franchise that nobody else can do.
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With him out of the rotation, the Warriors struggle defensively since Draymond is their anchor and Stephen Curry has to take on more of a facilitator role offensively, taking him out of his rhythm of being a primary scorer.
Without Draymond Green this season, the Warriors are 15-14 and with him on the floor, they are 28-6. This massive difference in winning is not a coincidence, as Draymond Green is just simply elite at what he does for this team.
Getting back to full strength is essential for the Warriors to make a deep postseason, possibly back to the NBA Finals, and it does appear that they should be getting their full squad back before the end of the regular season.
