Already missing Damion Lee due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the Warriors placed swingman Kent Bazemore in those protocols as well, tweets Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
According to Slater (Twitter link), Bazemore is expected to be out for the next seven days, which suggests he may have been a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19. Bazemore confirmed in a tweet that he didn’t test positive for the virus himself.
It’s possible that the person with whom Bazemore had contact was Lee, since his expected absence of 10-14 days suggests he may have tested positive for the coronavirus. In any case, Golden State will have to get by without both players for the next few games, potentially forcing the team to further shorten a rotation that has already been hit hard by injuries.
In addition to being without Bazemore and Lee, the Warriors are, of course, missing Klay Thompson and James Wiseman, who previously suffered season-ending injuries. Eric Paschall is out with a left hip flexor strain, while Juan Toscano-Anderson has missed Golden State’s last two games due to a concussion — he’s listed as questionable for Friday’s game vs. Denver.
If Toscano-Anderson is unavailable Friday, the Warriors would be down to 10 healthy players. The Warriors figure to lean on Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre for big minutes on the wing, while Mychal Mulder could take on an increased role. Players who have been out of the rotation, such as Gary Payton II and Nico Mannion, could also see some action.
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