Warriors: Draymond Green out for opener against Phoenix Suns

Golden State Warriors will be without Draymond Green for Tuesday’s opener against Kevin Durant and Suns

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Draymond Green will miss the Warriors’ season opener against the Phoenix Suns, according to coach Steve Kerr.

Green has missed all five preseason games as well as the majority of training camp due to a left ankle sprain he suffered the week before training camp began. Since Sunday, the 33-year-old has been practicing with the team and participating in 5-on-5 scrimmages, but he is not in game-playing condition.

“We don’t feel like it would be wise to throw him out there with so little scrimmage time on the floor,” he said.

Green will miss his second Opening Night in his 12-year career, and the first since the 2020-21 season, when he sat out against Kevin Durant’s Brooklyn Nets due to foot soreness.

Without Green and a new-look roster, the Warriors appeared incomplete, particularly on defense. Kerr downplayed the Warriors’ chances of starting the season with Chris Paul and a new bench that included Dario Saric and Cory Joseph.

“I have a clear vision of our team this year and it will not be on display tomorrow night because we aren’t where we need to be,” he said. “However, I believe that with the clarity we have as a coaching staff, we can see where this team is going.” That’s a fantastic sign. There will be bumps in the road, hopefully not too many, but one was Draymond’s injury before camp.

“We have to ease in because we have a lot of stuff on both ends of the floor.” We need to reduce that in order for players to feel at ease. It’s a long way of saying “we’ll be much better in a month or two.”