Photo: Peter Baba

Draymond Green believes longtime Warriors teammate Stephen Curry shouldn’t rush back this season if there’s any uncertainty about his right knee, but said he fully supports a return if Curry is truly healthy, as Sam Gordon of The San Francisco Chronicle writes.

Green made it clear he doesn’t want Curry taking risks, noting he shouldn’t come back if he has “an inkling of doubt” about the injury, “but if he’s healthy and he can play” then he’s behind him as he works toward a comeback.

A report on Friday indicated Curry will be reevaluated in about a week to determine whether enough progress has been made for a realistic return.

Green added that every player wants to perform on the postseason stage, and at 38 years old, Curry may not have many chances left.

“You just know he wants to play,” Green said. “He wants to be out there. … But I think where you get a little worried and you know he wants to come back and he hasn’t. That’s when you start looking at the clock tick … not from a standpoint of like, ‘Yo, when’s he coming back?’ But just like – I know he’s working to get back, and if not now, then what’s going on? I think you more so get a little worried but not from a standpoint of, ‘He’s going to save the day.’ (But) from a standpoint of like, ‘Oh, man. Your brother down. What the hell is going on?’”

With Curry sidelined, along with season-ending injuries to Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody, the Warriors aren’t the same team they were earlier in the year.

They currently sit 10th in the Western Conference at 36-38 and could need two wins in the play-in tournament to advance, though Curry’s return would still offer some hope. For now, Green has taken on a larger leadership role on the court.

“You just can’t be the guy that quits when it gets tough,” he said. “I’ve had some incredible years here. Been a part of some incredible teams. … When that stuff is happening, you want to be at the forefront of it. You want to embrace it, enjoy it, all those things. It’s great. But when it goes a little left, you can’t jump off the train. You can’t walk around and pout. You can’t throw in the towel – or what was everything you did before?”

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