DETROIT — Already down a big man, Steve Kerr doesn’t expect Draymond Green to be able to play on the remainder of Golden State Warriors‘ current five-game road trip.
Green has missed the last eight games with a right toe sprain and was hopeful that he could return on this trip. Now that Golden State could be without center Damian Jones for the rest of the season due to a torn left pectoral, the Warriors can use more size inside.
However, Kerr does not expect Green to play on the remainder of the trip, which has games at Atlanta, Cleveland and Milwaukee remaining.
“Draymond, it’s just slow going,” Kerr said Sunday after Warriors practice at University of Detroit Mercy. “I think it’s unlikely now that he will come back by the end of this trip. He’s doing some straight-line movement and got some shots up today. He’s feeling better but it’s just a really hard injury to heal.”
Green missed two games in early November and returned to play 43 minutes against the Clippers. He was suspended for one game and then played against Houston on Nov. 15 and hasn’t played since. Green said over the course of the last week he has “taken some huge strides” but that he has to get in game shape.
“I don’t want to just get thrown back into a game, that is a little different pressure on the toe,” Green said. “Just really ramping up now as opposed to hopping back in it. Just stick with the process and then try to jump some steps and then be back out.”
All-Star center DeMarcus Cousins, though, continues to make progress on his return from his torn Achilles injury. Kerr said Cousins will participate in Warriors practices this week, including any 5-on-5 scrimmages the team will go through.
“DeMarcus is making some strides,” Kerr said. “He’s looked a lot better to me the last couple of days. The intensity of his workouts — we didn’t do any scrimmage or anything today — but he took part in every aspect of our practice.”
“I do know he will fully take part in every practice that we have this week,” Kerr added.