The Golden State Warriors failed to defend their NBA Championship last season.
They were eliminated in the 2023 Western Conference Semifinals by the Los Angeles Lakers in six games.
The Warriors are expected to enter the 2023-24 NBA season as championship contenders once again.
However, they were given a huge blow following the announcement that Draymond Green recently injured his ankle.
Green revealed that he will miss four to six weeks due to his recent ankle injury, as per Marc J. Spears on Twitter.
“I dodged a bullet and learned that today by the way it's (positively) reacting. Even with an MRI you don't see the trend of it immediately. The swelling is down,” Warriors forward @Money23Green tells @andscape about his sprained left ankle he expects to keep him out 4-6 weeks.
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) September 30, 2023
Green will be unavailable for the Warriors for around a month, and it’s certainly not good news for the franchise.
Green is the defensive anchor and vocal leader of the team.
He is the glue that usually holds the team together during tough times.
Keeping that in mind, the responsibility will primarily fall on the shoulders of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to fill that void.
But the most difficult thing to replace will be Green’s impact on the defensive end of the floor.
The former NBA Defensive Player of the Year shared that the swelling in his ankle is already down, but the franchise will not take any risks of bringing him back earlier than needed.
Green averaged 8.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game last season.
NEXT: Warriors Are Dealing With Sudden Draymond Green Issue
