Draymond Green has been sidelined since Jan. 6 with a back injury, save for the seven seconds he played in Klay Thompson’s debut to retake the floor with his teammate for the first time in two years.
The Warriors haven’t looked like the dominant team we saw earlier this season since Green’s injury, but the former Defensive Player of the Year is getting closer to a return.
Here’s everything we know about Green’s injury and when he may return.
MORE: Watch NBA games live with Sling TV (3-day free trial)
What is Draymond Green’s injury?
Green’s left calf tightened up on him during warmups ahead of Thompson’s return against the Cavaliers on Jan. 6. Green had already missed the Warriors’ previous game, and he has now missed the team’s last 10 games.
On Jan. 16, the Warriors announced that several evaluations revealed that Green’s calf injury is tied to the involvement of a disc in his lower back. Per the NBA’s official injury report, Green has an injury in the left L5-S1 disc.
Draymond Green injury update: pic.twitter.com/TiFYe9VUow
— Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) January 16, 2022
How long will Draymond Green be out?
The Warriors provided an update on Green’s injury status on Feb. 1, stating that the star forward was expected to be out through the All-Star break, which spanned from Friday, Feb. 18 to Thursday, Feb. 24.
On Saturday, Feb. 26, Green practiced with the team for the first time in nearly two months, participating in 5-on-0 activities and drill work.
Today is the first time Draymond has practiced with the team since before Jan. 9. Kerr says he participated in shooting drills, 5-on-0, and a lot of drill work. https://t.co/zgO8rGepgN
— Kendra Andrews (@kendra__andrews) February 26, 2022
On March 7, Green, himself, announced his targeted return date of Monday, March 14 against the Washington Wizards on “The Draymond Green Show” podcast.
Sources say @Money23Green is targeting March 14 to make his return against the Wizards.
Sources are Draymond. pic.twitter.com/Ry2k2cN38S
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) March 8, 2022
That March 14 return date would mean that Green missed 31 games with his injury. The Warriors were 29-9 when Green went out, good for second in the Western Conference.
As of March 7, they stand in at 43-21 but are tied with the Memphis Grizzlies for second place and find themselves 8.0 games back from the first-place Suns.
Warriors schedule 2021-22
| Date | Opponent | Time (ET) |
| March 8 | vs. Clippers | 10:00 PM |
| March 10 | at Denver | 10:00 PM |
| March 12 | vs. Bucks | 8:30 PM |
| March 14 | vs. Wizards | 10:00 PM |
| March 16 | vs. Celtics | 10:00 PM |