Warriors' Draymond Green Doubtful vs. Nets with Injury; Wiseman Likely to Play

The Golden State Warriors may find themselves relying on No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman sooner than expected.

Head coach Steve Kerr told reporters Saturday the rookie center is likely to start for the Warriors when they open the season against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday as Draymond Green deals with an ankle injury. 

"James is going to be our starting center before too long," Kerr said. "It might happen Tuesday. Clearly, he's going to be our long-term starting center."

Kerr has not committed to starting Wiseman yet, but with Green tweaking his ankle during a scrimmage it leaves the team with fewer options. Especially after Green didn't practice Saturday. The coach said an MRI on Green's ankle came back clean and the team doesn't expect this to be a long-term injury.

Yet his absence Saturday allowed Wiseman to get some run with the Warriors' starters during a scrimmage, which in turn left Kerr feeling positive about the rookie's ability to step up early in the season—though that might not exactly begin on Tuesday. 

"It's one thing to scrimmage," Kerr said. "It's another to be on the floor against Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets."

Wiseman did not participate in any of Golden State's preseason contests as he continues to work on his conditioning following the league's COVID-19 protocols. 

It's now been more than a year since Wiseman's last official game when the then-Memphis Tigers star poured in 14 points with 12 rebounds in November 2019. 

The Warriors could also increase minutes for Eric Paschall, Kevon Looney and Marquese Chriss to make up for the loss of Green or use Kelly Oubre Jr. at power forward and play with a smaller lineup.