SAN FRANCISCO — Draymond Green returned to the Warriors’ starting lineup Monday against the Magic.
It couldn’t have come at a better time.
After surrendering 130 points while getting boatraced by the Phoenix Suns the last time they took the court, Warriors coach Steve Kerr welcomed the return of the team’s defensive leader and court general.
“He always ties us together at that end,” Kerr said. “There’s so much gray area in the game, you go into a game with schemes and coverages and then all hell breaks loose. He has a way of making the possession make sense for the five guys. That’s what I’m looking forward to: getting that back.”
While Kerr said Green wouldn’t be limited physically, he would likely be playing under a minutes restriction while he gets back into game shape. Besides a few recent scrimmages, Green’s only time on the court since he strained his left calf on January 9 has been a 3-minute cameo against the Wizards.
The Warriors have gone 5-6 over Green’s 11-game absence, allowing 117.1 points per 100 possessions, the eighth-worst defensive rating in the NBA. Before Green’s injury, their defense ranked in the top-10 leaguewide, at 110.5.
Kerr attributed Friday’s loss to the Suns to their poor transition defense that allowed Phoenix to blow the game open. The 130 points were the most Golden State had allowed in more than a month and the fourth-most all season.
“I thought we got a little bit disconnected (offensively) … that led to some poor transition defense,” he said. “That’s when they broke it open. That stretch in the second quarter where we didn’t execute very well at either end really changed the game.”