Iguodala returns but has fresh injury
OKLAHOMA CITY — Warriors forward Andre Iguodala
returned Monday from a left hip injury that sidelined him eight games. And then he left his first game back with a new injury to his back.
Though Iguodala’s hip injury was not considered serious, the Warriors opted to take a cautious approach with a 38-yearold with a lengthy history of minor ailments. Nearly twothirds of the way through the season, Iguodala has missed more than half of Golden State’s games.
That was not a major concern for head coach Steve Kerr.
When the Warriors signed Iguodala to a one-year, veteranminimum deal in August, they did so with the playoffs in mind.
Though his ability to stabilize the offense, limit mistakes, mentor young players and defend proven wings is an asset in any situation, Iguodala figures to be an important part of Golden State’s small-ball lineups in the games that matter most. His return Monday underscored the goal of keeping him on track to return for the start of the playoffs in midApril. Monday’s new injury will be evaluated with that goal in mind.
“It’s great to get Andre back,” Kerr said. “His defense, his organization, just everything he does for us. Getting us lined up and making sure guys are in the right spots on both ends.”
The Warriors also got back forward Otto Porter Jr., who had missed three games with lower-back tightness. Porter started at power forward with Draymond Green still out with a back issue.
Forward Nemanja Bjelica,
who has missed the past five games with back spasms, didn’t join the Warriors on this trip. Kerr said Bjelica is “progressing well in his rehab,” and Golden State expects “him back before too long.”
It could be a bit longer of a wait for center James Wiseman, who has yet to be cleared for contact work nearly 10 months after he underwent surgery to repair a torn right meniscus. The good news for him, however, is that he appears to be making some progress in his rehab.
A day after Wiseman participated in his first team practice since the surgery, he flew with the Warriors to Oklahoma City on Sunday. He could be seen getting up shots with assistant coach Dejan Milojevic pregame Monday.
“It’s definitely nice having him here, just because he’s with us going through practices and workouts,” Kerr said of Wiseman. “He’s done really well. But like I said a couple of weeks ago, I’ve learned my lesson in terms of saying anything beyond that. It’s good to have him back in the daily routine.”
Thompson’s workload: For the first time since Game 6 of the 2019 Finals, guard Klay Thompson was cleared to top the 30-minute mark Monday.
This was an important milestone as he eases back into the rotation after missing more than 2½ years with a torn ACL and a torn Achilles tendon. In his first 11 games this season, Thompson averaged 23.5 minutes.
His 23-point, 24-minute gem in Thursday’s win over the Kings reinforced for director of sports medicine and performance Rick Celebrini that Thompson was ready to exceed the 30-minute mark. The Warriors hope to get him back toward the 32-to-36-minute range, where he was before the injuries, in the coming weeks.
“We can get him more and more into our rotations, and get him more of a set rotation for himself,” Kerr said. “He’s just gotten better and better. He’s found his rhythm and is trending in a good direction.”