After 16 games apart, Draymond Green is expected to return tonight against the Grizzlies

This Sunday, Draymond Green was taken off the team’s injury report as important media outlets like ESPN reported that Golden State were targeting the player’s return this Monday in Memphis. 

The four-time champion has missed 16 matches since he was suspended indefinitely for hitting Suns big man Jusuf Nurkic in the face during a regular-season contest on December 12.

The problem with this incident was how it came weeks after he had already been suspended for 5 games after holding Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert in a headlock at the start of the season.

Draymond Green is expected to return Monday vs. Grizzlies after a 16-game absence, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/r4OV7Obhsa

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 14, 2024

His coach Steve Kerr shared the news this weekend that he was expecting the Warriors forward to compete on an NBA court again either tonight against the Grizzlies, or the Utah Jazz later this week at the latest.

“He has been working out every day and I talked to him this morning,” Kerr shared after losing on Saturday to the Milwaukee Bucks. “He said he’s coming around and feeling good, so there’s a chance he could play in Memphis or in Utah.”

The Bay Area franchise have gone 8-8 without their controversial star, who has definitely left a huge hole in his team’s defensive end of the court. His teammate Klay Thompson explained his importance.

“He has an ability to communicate, get us into defensive sets and guard multiple positions and just be one of the greatest defenders that ever played,” he said while stating that he’s convinced the Green will adapt to the flow of things easily.

Last week, the Warriors star revealed that a chat with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made him reflect on his decisions. “I told him: ‘Adam, this is too much for me… It’s too much. It’s all becoming too much for me, and I’m going to retire,’” the player said, to what Silver then responded: “You’re making a very rash decision and I’m not going to let you do that.”

“We had a long conversation, which was very useful to me. I’m very grateful to play in a league with a commissioner like Adam who is more interested in helping you than hurting you, helping you than punishing you. He is interested in the players,” the power forward shared.

After suffering his latest ban from the league by hitting Jusuf Nurkic in December, the player served his time followed by therapy. The league released a statement in which they assure that Green “had taken steps demonstrating his willingness to conform to the behavior expected of NBA players […] He was followed by an advisor and met jointly with representatives of the NBA, the Warriors and the players’ association.”

“I was wrong,” Green admitted. “I was wrong regardless of what I was trying to do, regardless of — none of that shit matters. I was wrong. I accept my fault in that and I apologize.”