While Draymond Green has been working through a back injury, he is hopeful that the extra rest he took this week will allow him to play when the Warriors take on the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday in a prime-time matchup at Crypto.com Area.
Speaking on his eponymous podcast on Thursday, Green explained that his back issues have persisted for the past few games, and despite having the training staff consistently working with him, he would be unable to do much of anything the day after a game.
“My back has been bothering me for like four or five games and I’ve kind of been going through it like just playing through it and playing through it,” Green said. “They’re doing things to get me back to a good space to go in the game and then third quarter or so it just locks all the way back up and you’re grinding through the rest of the game just trying to get to the end.
“Next day, not in a good space, can’t really get on the court even if wanted to get some work in, and then getting it back to a good space to go back out there and play.”
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After describing his history of back injuries and how he has to listen to his body more now, Green said that he hopes the additional days off this week will allow him to play against the Lakers.
“And so the hope is that in not having a game since Monday for myself, not playing in the Dallas [Mavericks] game, that those extra couple of days will allow it to go away because it’s just no fun.”
Green sat out the Warriors' loss to the Mavericks on Wednesday at American Airlines Center, and the veteran’s ability to suit up for Golden State in a pivotal game against the Lakers will be a huge factor.
The Warriors are not the same team when Green is not on the floor, and considering the playoff implications of the game, it will be critical that he can play. Without Green, Golden State is 11-14 this season and 23-17 with Green in the lineup.
The Lakers and Warriors currently are separated by just one game in the Western Conference standings, so the head-to-head matchup at Crypto.com Arena carries extra importance.
