SAN FRANCISCO -- Tucked near his locker about 70 minutes before Saturday's matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, Warriors forward Draymond Green raised both of his hands in front of his eyes in bewilderment.
Comparing index fingers, Green took a look at his left pointer -- one he admitted featured a torn ligament suffered in Friday's loss to the Spurs -- and shook his head.
Green's injury -- one of Golden State's seven on Sunday's injury report -- puts him out for at least "a few games," putting the Warriors' season in further peril.
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The origin of Green's ailment came in the first half of Friday's loss when he attempted to contest a Trey Lyles pump fake, jamming the finger on Lyles' shoulder as the big man drove towards the lane. While he finished the night with six points, eight rebounds and seven assists, most of his performance was done with one hand. Unable to grip the ball, most of his actions were done with his right hand.
Even when his son -- Draymond Jr. -- visited to the sideline to offer a hug and kiss with the loss in hand, the elder Green was sure to keep the hand at a distance.
As Green reconciled the new shape of his finger, D'Angelo Russell -- who sprained his ankle Friday evening -- walked with a limp across the room to his locker.
The visual encapsulated Golden State's young season. So far this year, five players have missed games due to injury, including star guards Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry, who will be re-evaluated in February. Of the healthy bodies on the roster Sunday night, none owned a guaranteed roster spot last season. With Curry, Thompson and Russell out, Steve Kerr named Ky Bowman -- one of Golden State's two two-way players -- the team's starting point guard.
Golden State Warriors
With injuries piling up, the Warriors are forced to invest in a young core with limited experience. So far, the process has seen progress. On Friday, rookie guard Jordan Poole scored eight of his career-high 20 points in the second quarter, while Damion Lee scored 16 points, including two 3-pointers.
Through the first 24 minutes, Golden State converted on 52 percent of its 3-pointers. However, they were outscored 70-55 over the final 48 minutes. In the third quarter, Golden State was outscored 40-31 by the Spurs.
To get players up to speed, Kerr has opted to simplify Golden State's motion offense, opting for more pick-and-roll centric strategy. By Saturday, amid the news of yet another injury, Kerr facetiously enlisted the help of The Athletic's Tim Kawakami to play Sunday's game.
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“Are you busy?” he asked.
“I’m very expensive," Kawakami responded. "and you’re hard-capped.”
As for Green, the forward says he plans to be a presence around the team and plans to accompany the battered Warriors on their upcoming three-game road trip in hopes of salvaging an already slipping season.