Green (ankle) will miss Warriors’ season opener

SAN FRANCISCO — Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green will not play in the Warriors’ season opener against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.

Green will miss the first game of the year as he recovers from a left lateral ankle sprain that he suffered during a pick-up game three days before training camp began.

Green began light on-court work one week ago. He began 3-on-3 work on Friday and was then elevated to 5-on-5 on Sunday.

Green participated in practice and the controlled scrimmage on Monday, but the team is not ready to clear him for a game.

“He’s doing really well but we don’t feel like it would be wise to throw him out with so little scrimmage time on the floor,” Kerr said. “We’ll reassess as the days go.”

The Warriors play their second game of the season on Friday in Sacramento.

This is just the second time in Green’s 12 years in the NBA that he’ll miss opening night. The last time was the first game of the 2020-21 season, which he missed due to right foot soreness.

Kerr wouldn’t specify who will start in place of Green on Tuesday, though he did experiment with several different starting groups through their five preseason games. Chris Paul, when on the active roster, was a fixture in the starting lineup during the preseason.

Though Kerr is optimistic the Warriors have enough pieces to stay afloat during Green’s absence, he’s aware this will hold them back a degree.

“I have a clear vision of our team this year and it will not be on display tomorrow night because we are not where we need to be,” Kerr said. “We’re going to be way better in a month or two, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get off to a good start … play well over the next couple of weeks as we’re fitting Draymond back in.”