DENVER — The last two players to leave the court after the Warriors’ practice Monday at Ball Arena were the two who didn’t see the field in the second half of Saturday night’s loss to the Suns in Phoenix.

While Moses Moody had an in-depth conversation with coach Steve Kerr after practice, Kyle Anderson’s role could be increased Tuesday night against the Denver Nuggets due to unfortunate news for the Warriors. Draymond Green did not practice Monday because of left calf tightness and the Warriors initially considered him questionable for the next day’s game.

Kerr was trying to end the four-game losing streak, but took Green’s status up a notch after practice and made it clear he doesn’t expect him to play.

“I would call it doubtful,” Kerr said. “We have to be careful. … Doubtful tomorrow, we’ll see how it holds up.”

This changes the Warriors’ identity tremendously, especially when trying to contain Nuggets superstar center Nikola Jokić, who essentially does everything for his team offensively. The three-time NBA MVP leads the Nuggets in points per game (29.6), rebounds per game (13.2) and assists per game (10.7) and is tied for the team lead in steals per game (1.5). equal. Jokić is also second on the team in field goal percentage (56.2 percent) and 3-point percentage (50.8 percent).

There is no stopping him, only hope of containing him, which Anderson has done to some extent in the past.

No one on the Minnesota Timberwolves protected Jokić more last season, not even four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. Anderson spent just over 13 minutes guarding Jokić in four regular season games, and Joker scored 35 points on 11 of 20 shooting but committed three turnovers with just one assist.

In comparison, Green faced Jokić once last season for a total of seven minutes and 13 seconds. During that span, Jokić scored 15 points on 6 of 13 shooting and had six assists without a turnover, but only made one of his four 3-point attempts. Overall, Jokić posted a triple-double with 32 points, 16 rebounds and 16 assists and a 16-point win in the only match Golden State played against Green last season.

Kerr believes Anderson’s combination of 6-foot-10 and 7-foot wingspan and his elite basketball IQ gives him the ability to keep Jokić off his game at times.

“He’s got long arms, he’s very strong and he’s got a big brain,” Kerr said of Anderson. “He’s smart – smart, smart, smart. Kyle just understands angles. He knows trends, he knows the scouting report, he watches basketball and loves the game. He knows what people want to achieve.

“Kyle is really good defensively.”

After blowing his whistle and shaking his head, Anderson revealed the near-impossible task of protecting Jokić.

“He’s a nightmare down the block, at the elbow, when he rebounds the ball from 94 feet, he can hit you with throwaway passes that not many in the league can do,” Anderson said. “He really is a nightmare when he gets on the floor from all areas.”

As Kerr ponders how to best utilize the Warriors’ deep rotation, Anderson is averaging just 15 minutes per game, his lowest since his third year in the NBA. But the 11-year veteran ranks second on the team in defensive rating at 100.9.

Anderson appreciates Kerr’s openness and honesty when it comes to his fluctuating minutes and role for his new team, shrugging off any alternative of hostility.

“Steve just let me know what was going on,” Anderson explained. “Some places you get buried and you don’t hear from the head coach, so just hearing from Steve meant a lot to me.”

Center Kevon Looney, who has yet to start a game in the 2024-25 NBA season but started in the second half on Saturday in Phoenix, has the Warriors’ best defensive rating (99.8). Looney also saw Jokić the most of any Warriors player last season, guarding him for 25 minutes. Jokić had 42 points and 13 assists, but also turned the ball over four times and was 3 of 11 from deep.

Trayce Jackson-Davis has started every Warriors game at center so far this season and logged seven minutes in place of Jokić as a rookie last year. Jackson-Davis fouled Jokić five times, leading to 12 free throw attempts, and the senior big man scored 18 points (including 10 free throws) and three assists, but two turnovers.

“What we really want to take away is his death,” Jackson-Davis said. “Getting his assists, getting his teammates involved – we know he’s going to score. He has taken on a lot this year, especially as a goalscorer. So if we can take some of his guys away and obviously double him, we’ll do what we have to do… it’s going to be a tough, physical game.”

The two traditional centers, Jackson-Davis and Looney, will see a lot of Jokić and will likely make the first attempt at cutting down the tree. A game ago, it looked like Anderson might be out of the rotation.

Now he could be just the antidote needed to slow Jokić down just enough to prevent the Warriors from losing their fifth straight game and also their eighth straight to the Nuggets. Green’s likely absence requires nothing less than a full team effort.

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