The start of the Golden State Warriors 2019-20 season has been defined by injury. Name a player on the Golden State roster, and there’s a chance they’ve spent time attached to the injury report. The team currently leads the NBA in games missed with injury by a mile-size gap, but help could be on the way.
The Warriors got some positive news to start their five-game road trip, with three players returning to practice before Golden State tipped off with the Miami Heat.
Kevon Looney (neuropathic condition), D’Angelo Russell (right thumb), and Jacob Evans III (adductor) were all spotted at Warriors practice to start the road trip. Each player took steps towards the path to return to the Warriors lineup during the team’s five-game road swing.
Kevon Looney
After missing all but 10-minutes of the start of Golden State’s season, Looney has been back practicing with the team for almost a week now, and his return to the floor could be coming very soon. Steve Kerr told reporters during Friday’s shootaround that the Warriors are targeting the Atlanta Hawks game on Monday for Looney’s return.
Both Kerr and Looney mentioned that even though he’s healthy, he needed a couple more practices under his belt to build up conditioning. The team is being patient with Looney’s return as he’s slated to have a featured role for Kerr’s squad after signing a three-year, $15 million contract over the offseason.
Jacob Evans III
Another Warrior who had high expectations for the 2019-20 season, Jacob Evans, returned to with a full practice in Miami. Evans’s adductor injury timetable has been somewhat of a mystery, but seeing Evans on the floor is a positive sign.
The former first-round pick was slated to handle the ball as a point guard more with the departure of Shaun Livingston. Anthony Slater of The Athletic said the Warriors are planning to practice Evans again in Orlando, with a return to the lineup on this road trip being possible.
D’Angelo Russell
The best news of the day might’ve come when the Warriors injured All-Star guard was seen working out without any protection over his sprained right thumb.
After missing the past seven games, Slater said Russell could be back as soon as the team’s current road trip. Before getting injured, Russell was playing his best basketball of the season, serving as Kerr’s primary scorer on offense.
The return of Looney, Evans and Russell would give the Warriors one of their healthiest units since the start of the season. By the end of the five-game road trip, Golden State could finally get a glimpse of Draymond Green, Eric Paschall, Russell and Looney on the floor together— all players who look to be apart of the team’s long term plans.
