Golden State Warriors down 6 rotational players against Suns

The Golden State Warriors are heading to Phoenix on Christmas Day to take on the Suns, who are currently sitting atop the Western Conference by a game over the Dubs.

At least Draymond Green has already let his feelings be known about having a second straight road game on Christmas Day. Last season, they were thrashed in Milwaukee by the Bucks, losing by 39.

The Golden State Warriors have two players and four others in health and safety protocol. They’ll be down at least 6 rotational players.

However, it isn’t just that they’ll be on the road, but they’ll be at a disadvantage down several key players.

The Warriors already knew that they were going to be down Andrew Wiggins and Jordan Poole, their second- and third-best scoring options respectively. However, on top of those two, Klay Thompson and James Wiseman have yet to return.

The former is a five-time All-Star guard and one of the best shooters to ever grace the hardwood. The latter was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Thompson tore his Achilles trying to rehab from a torn ACL in 2019.

His initial return date was Christmas, but it seems the Warriors’ second-best record in the NBA gave him some breathing room on that return. As for Wiseman, he’s still not ready after tearing his meniscus late last season.

Those could be four of the top six players for Golden State when at full strength.

Two other top players are Damion Lee, who would typically be starting for Poole, and Andre Iguodala. Lee is also in the league’s health and safety protocols while Iguodala will be out with a knee injury.

Lee, Iggy, Poole, Wiggins, Wiseman, and Thompson won’t be in the team’s Christmas Day game while the Suns, who recently returned Devin Booker, are almost at full strength. The status of the two teams just isn’t close to the same.

With that in mind, the matchup here will be mean little for what may be coming in the postseason.