Draymond Green has been back with the Warriors for the last week, getting back on the court after stepping away from the game to serve an indefinite suspension from the NBA after hitting Jusuf Nurkic in the face a month after choking out Rudy Gobert.
In his absence, the Warriors have fallen below .500 and are in an existential crisis as an organization. In what is theoretically good news for Golden State, Green will be back in the lineup on Monday when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, according to Shams Charania.
After missing 16 games, Warriors star Draymond Green is expected to return vs. Grizzlies in Memphis on Martin Luther King Jr. Day Monday, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. pic.twitter.com/Q13vFRbJ85
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 14, 2024
The Grizzlies have their own issues at the moment, with injuries piling up, most notably Ja Morant suffering a season-ending shoulder injury, but it is a particularly interesting team for Green to return against given the tense recent history between the Warriors and Grizzlies. It will certainly be a test of whether Green has in fact taken strides over the past few weeks with regards to keeping his emotions in check on the floor, as Memphis has historically looked to get under the Warriors skin.
Golden State could certainly use Green’s defensive impact on the floor, and they’ll want to see how the team reacts with him back in the fold as they approach the trade deadline with just about everything on the table for them in terms of possible deals.
