After being handed an indefinite suspension from the NBA on December 14th, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been reinstated by the league.
While he’s technically eligible to return to play at any time, reports indicate that Green will take a week or so to ramp back up to game shape. All said, the former MSU standout will have missed 12 games without pay following his on court incident with Jusuf Nurkic last month. Golden State went 7-5 without Green in the lineup.
The NBA released the following statement regarding why Green was suddenly eligible for reinstatement. “During the period of his suspension, which began on Dec. 14 and resulted in him missing 12 games, Green completed steps that demonstrated his committment to conforming his conduct to standards expected of NBA players. He has engaged in meetings with a counselor and has met jointly on multiple occasions with representatives of the NBA, the Warriors, and the National Basketball Players Association, both of which will continue throughout the season.”
Across 15 appearances in 2023-24, Green is averaging 9.7pts/5.8ast/5.5reb per game. The Nurkic incident represented the 2nd suspension of the season for Green, who was previously sidelined 5 games following a run in with Rudy Gobert.
In the aftermath of Green’s 2nd suspension, both teammates and head coach Steve Kerr expressed concern for Green’s mental health and trajectory. NBA executive VP Joe Dumars told reporters that “We just want him to go through the process of getting better…There’s no specific, ‘hey, you have to check this specific box and everything’s good.’ We want to see him make progress, get better, come back and be the great player that he’s been for such a long time in Golden State.”
For his part, Nurkic told members of the press that Draymond “needs help” following the wild swing that resulted in his ejection and subsequent absence from the lineup.
With Golden State currently 1 game below .500 at 17-18, and clinging onto the 10th spot in the Western Conference, the Dubs will take all the help they can get roster wise at this point. Following news that PG Chris Paul will be out several weeks following hand surgery, Green’s return to the lineup should be a welcome addition.
Photo: Gobierno CDMX. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.