SAN FRANCISCO — Draymond Green couldn’t help but chuckle considering the situation he was thrust into Monday night in his first game in nearly a month.
“Very interesting game to come back on,” Green mused, “having to guard Paolo Banchero.”
In a fitting return from a left calf strain that sidelined him for 11 games in the Warriors’ 104-99 win, Green drew one of the toughest assignments in the league in the form of the Magic’s twin towers: Banchero, the former No. 1 overall pick, and Franz Wagner, his fellow 6-foot-10 counterpart.
When healthy, the duo has combined for nearly 48 points per game this season. On Monday, they took a backseat to point guard Cole Anthony, who led the Magic with 26 points while both halves of their fearsome frontcourt were held below their scoring averages.
Afterward, Green was asked to assess how he felt.
“Like dog (expletive),” he joked. “I mean, bad. … But I could defend. So I’ll live with that for now.”
While Green, who turns 35 next month, may still be getting back into game shape, teammate Andrew Wiggins said he had an “immediate impact” on both sides of the ball. In 29 minutes, Green grabbed seven rebounds, assisted on five field goals and converted a pair himself.
“Offensively, he’s going to get us organized, you know, play-make, get us great shots,” Wiggins said. “Defensively, he’s one of the highest IQ guys in the league. Gets us settled. Helping everybody. Keeps us all connected and together. As soon as he stepped on the floor, you could see the impact he had.”
The Warriors missed Green, going 5-6 during his absence while their defense fell from the top-10 in the league to the bottom third. When he suffered the injury in the January 9 win at Detroit, neither he nor the team was immediately sure how long the absence would be.
Speaking to reporters in the locker room after returning to the court Monday, Green revealed that he tore a muscle in his calf. Initially, there was some concern that there was a connection between this injury and the calf issues caused by a slipped disc in his back that kept him out for two months in 2022.
“We’re obviously always leery of that. But we figured out pretty quickly and I was pretty confident it was just my calf,” Green said. “We were pretty confident after the first few days … that it wouldn’t be two months or anything like that. But any muscle injury is tricky because oftentimes there isn’t a warning and it just goes.”
Green said he spent seven hours a day at the Warriors’ facilities going through the rehab steps prepared by Dr. Rick Celebrini, the head trainer.
“It’s good to rehab and get stronger,” he said. “But I’m happy to be back playing because the rehab process here is pretty hard. They crush you. Like seven-hour days. Everyone else coming in for two hours. So I’m happy to be back playing.”
Green’s longtime running mate, Steph Curry, said he was “champing at the bit to get back out there.
“It was a great game for him to come back, too, with two guys that are elite scorers and try to put pressure on the rim. He just gave us great energy. It’s always great to have him out there.”
The win was the first time the Warriors held their opponents below 100 points in nearly two months, so perhaps it’s no coincidence that it corresponded with the return of their defensive leader and court general.
“He changes everything defensively,” coach Steve Kerr said. “Just with his activity, his communication, covering up when we do make mistakes. I thought he looked good.”