FILE — Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors smiles during their game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center on October 05, 2019 in San Francisco, California. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/AFP
The Golden State Warriors likely will be without their star forward and then No. 2 overall draft pick to start the preseason, which begins for the team Saturday vs. the Denver Nuggets.
Veteran Draymond Green and rookie James Wiseman have yet to practice for the Warriors, and according to head coach Steve Kerr, are they unlikely to play in any of the team’s three preseason games.
The Warriors announced that they had two players test positive for COVID-19 last week, and the organization never publicly stated the names of the two players, but the San Francisco Chronicle identified them as Green and Wiseman.
Because of the shortened offseason and the effects from COVID-19 on the team, Kerr believes it is smart to hold out his veteran forward and the team’s prized rookie. Neither will play Saturday against the visiting Denver Nuggets, Kerr confirmed, and both likely will sit out following exhibition matchups ahead of the Dec. 22 opener on the road against the Brooklyn Nets.
“We’ve got to be very careful and smart given the layoff that we’re all coming off of and then the short amount of time as it is for training camp,” Kerr said. “There’s no way I’d throw either guy into an NBA game right away. They got to build into that.”