OAKLAND – Draymond Green has been playing through leg and knee pain for weeks now, and while the Warriors are impressed with his sacrifice they’ve seen enough.
They want to give the fourth-year forward a physical break, and they’ll try to persuade him to take one on the upcoming back-to-back set Wednesday at Denver and Thursday against the Lakers at Oracle Arena.
“He’s one of the guys that actually plays heavy minutes,” interim coach Luke Walton conceded Tuesday. “And it kind of started when Harrison went down. He’s playing in the high 30s. Now that we have Harrison back, he’s definitely a guy we can look at giving a little bit of time off to.”
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This, however, will require discussion. Green is rather insistent on playing, even as it takes a physical toll.
“I look forward to having that talk with him,” Walton said, sarcastically.
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Green leads the Warriors in minutes played, averaging 34.9 per game, one more than Stephen Curry’s 33.9. Moreover, Green has played in all 38 games, the only member of the team to start every game.
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And it shows. Green spends 15-20 minutes after every game sitting in the locker room with both legs wrapped in ice bags, usually with at least one foot soaking in a bucket of ice water.
Through it all, he has having one of the finest seasons in the NBA, averaging 15.2 points, 9.7 rebounds and 7.3 assists. He has a league-most eight triple-doubles.
Walton indicated Green is not the only Warrior due for a break, just the most obvious one.
“We’ll discuss some rest options,” Walton said. “But for the most part our guys don’t play huge minutes and we try to play a deep rotation for that reason, and to keep other guys fresh. We’ll give a couple opportunities.”