Despite reduced output this season, Draymond Green remains one of the key players for the Golden State Warriors. The 35-year-old has missed just 7 games this season, and the majority of them due to a lower leg issue. Before the matchup against the Miami Heat, coach Steve Kerr and the team’s medical staff decided that it was important for the former DPOY to miss the game.

“I got a call from Rick [Celebrini] today that it’s been bothering him the last couple of games. It just kind of got worse yesterday on the off day. With the B2B, Rick thinks he’ll be ready to go tomorrow, but didn’t want to risk it.”

Steve Kerr stated that the director of sports medicine and performance, Celebrini, explained it’s best to hold Draymond out tonight against the Heat due to the right ankle that has been bothering him. The head coach expects Green to return tomorrow night against the Raptors. It’s only the second game he has missed this month, the first being against the OKC, which was due to rest as Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler were out because of injuries.

Before that, he missed three games in December: Cleveland, Chicago, and Minnesota. That time, the Golden State listed Draymond Green with a right mid-foot sprain. That again was like the team taking the careful route. These missed games were right after the 76ers’ Dominick Barlow landed on Green’s foot in last month’s encounter. It didn’t help that he already had a little issue from Portland’s Donovan Clingan falling on the same foot in November.

Just after that game, that’s why Dray missed the Warriors’ win over the Utah Jazz with a right mid-foot sprain. Steve Kerr is threading on a cautionary note after Green’s honest assessment about his health.

“I was a little beat up after that [Clippers] game, so that was a few days’ process of actually hammering away at different things,” Green said last week, describing the grueling journey in the NBA. “Even on the off days, I was here for a couple of hours. Then after the game, I sprinted it out, because it just felt like I was in the casino or jail or something, like the walls were closing in on me. You feel it.”

Apart from Draymond Green (ankle), Steve Kerr will also be without Gui Santos (ankle) and De’Anthony Melton (injury management) against the Miami Heat. As the coach manages the injury issues with the roster, it gives him a newfound gratitude for the team’s superstar, Curry, after another All-Star selection.

Steve Kerr puts Stephen Curry on a higher pedestal

The Baby-Faced Assassin will appear in the All-Star Game for the 12th time in his career. More importantly, his latest selection places him in rare historical company. His 11th All-Star start and 12th appearance overall, Stephen Curry now joins an exclusive group of just 17 players in NBA history to reach 12 All-Star selections while staying with a single franchise. That list includes Michael Jordan (12), Larry Bird (12), Kobe Bryant (18), and Dirk Nowitzki (14), among others.

Speaking about Curry’s selection, Kerr was delighted. “Yeah, I mean, I’m thrilled for him, it’s a huge honor, and I was thinking about it today when Raymond called me with the news. I can’t think of anybody at that age playing better. I know Kareem played well late in his career, obviously LeBron, but I just can’t imagine anybody playing at a higher level at this age than Steph, so he’s been amazing all year, and I’m glad he’s being rewarded for it.”

During the press conference, the follow-up question towards Kerr was about any guards that he remembers being durable. The answer was, “I mean, nobody came to mind when I was thinking about it today, but I only thought about it for like five seconds.” It was enough to appreciate the longevity of Stephen Curry, who continues to produce at the highest level.

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In year 17, Curry is averaging 27.6 points, 4.9 assists, and 3.8 rebounds while ranking second in the league with 149 made three-pointers. So, the fans showered him with love and votes, 2,817,562, finishing behind only Doncic and Jokic.