In the aftermath of Draymond Green's indefinite suspension, Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. confidently stated the star forward's disciplinary absence won't significantly impact any drastic roster decisions made by the team.
While speaking to reporters during a press conference in Los Angeles ahead of Thursday night's matchup with the Clippers, Dunleavy detailed how the upcoming stretch of games without Green will determine the team's direction as the season progresses.
"I think the bigger impact will be how we do the next 15-20 games. That will probably determine where we go more than this specific incident or the time away for him [Green]," Dunleavy told reporters. "The reality of the situation is if you're evaluating Draymond his ability has been great, his availability has not. So, we need him more available because when he plays he's really good, we're really good and that's the main thing.
"I don't think I need any more evaluation of Draymond as a player. I need a little bit more evaluation on this team, the chemistry, the lineups and all that. From a basketball standpoint, honestly pretty pleased with Draymond. We want to help him be on the court more."
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When asked about Green's absence creating any additional difficulty with roster evaluations, Dunleavy expressed his confidence in the depth the Warriors possess while highlighting the silver lining that comes with being able to evaluate players who will receive additional minutes due to the suspension.
"I don't think so, just because I'm assuming him as a huge positive, and so you plug him back in and I think things will be pretty good," Dunleavy said. "So where are we at without him is something I want to evaluate, get an opportunity to see some of these other guys play some more.
"Look, this team was built around great depth; we've got really good depth that's enabled us to stay in and be competitive in a lot of these games where we've missed guys. Whether it's Gary [Payton II], Draymond, Steph [Curry] has missed some games, Chris [Paul] has missed some games, so one of the strengths of this team beyond Steph Curry is the depth, and we'll continue to lean into that and see how it goes."
The Warriors are 2-5 in seven games without Green this season and will have to search for answers without one of their most important players for the foreseeable future.
Golden State Warriors
Jonathan Kuminga could see an increased role in Green's absence while building on a recent hot streak where the 21-year-old has recorded double-digit point totals in three consecutive games.
At 10-13, sitting in 11th place in the Western Conference, the Warriors don't have the luxury of waiting for Green's return to figure things out. Golden State will have to tap into its championship DNA and find a way to rebound from a rocky start to the season that has come with plenty of distractions.