Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green has been dealing with a back injury as of late, and a former NBA team doctor recently warned that the next two weeks are going to be incredibly important when it comes to Green’s trajectory for the rest of the season.
Green is dealing with a disc issue in his back. He hasn’t played since early January.
According to Dr. Rahul Shah, Green is going to have to prove that he can handle the wear and tear that comes from practice before returning to games becomes a consideration.
“The next two weeks are going to be fairly critical to see if he does not make progress there,” Shah told Calvin Fong of ClutchPoints.
Recently, footage surfaced of Green practicing and seemingly moving quite well in practice. While the Warriors would love to get Green back as soon as possible, Shah preached patience as an incredibly important factor.
“You want to take a measured approach, which is exactly what the team doctors are doing,” Shah said. “Starting slowly with trying to see if they can ease him back into his level of activity. And I think the next two weeks will tell us that.”
After two straight lackluster seasons, the Warriors are back to being one of the best teams in the NBA. They currently sit in the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference with a record of 43-19. Clearly, they have high goals for this season.
As for Green, he has proven time and time again to be one of the most unique and valuable players in the NBA once the playoffs come around. So far this season, he’s averaging 7.9 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game.
Surely, the Warriors would love to have him back for their eventual playoff run. According to Shah, it looks like the next two weeks will offer a lot of insight into whether or not that it a realistic goal.
