The last time Draymond Green played in a game, it was a seven-second show appearance in early January. He was hurt, but played for seven seconds before fouling, all so he could appear in a lineup with Klay Thompson, who made his long-awaited debut that night.
His next appearance figures to last a bit longer.
Green has been out since January 9 with an L5-S1 disc injury in his back, and the Warriors have gone 17-14 in the stretch without him. They were 29-8 before he departed.
He initially thought he had sustained a calf injury after feeling tightness in his left calf before that January 9 game against Cleveland, but trainer Rick Celebrini recognized the symptoms and ordered an MRI on Green’s back. After diagnosing the injury, Green began rehab to strengthen under-utilized muscles like his abs and core.
But after that two-month absence, Green will return on Monday night, the Warriors announced.
That his will be the first time in close to three years that Green, Thompson and Stephen Curry all play in the same lineup together in earnest. Their last game together was the infamous night Thompson tore his ACL in the Finals against the Toronto Raptors on June 13, 2019.
At long last, the trio that started the Warriors dynasty will all be back on the court together.