After being suspended for Game 3, Draymond Green will come off the bench in Game 4 of the Golden State Warriors‘ first round series against the Sacramento Kings, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania and Anthony Slater. With Draymond Green coming off the bench, the Warriors will start Stephen Curry, Jordan Poole, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney, the same lineup they used in their 114-97 Game 3 win.

Today's game marks the first time that Draymond Green will come off the bench in the NBA Playoffs since Game 3 of the Warriors' 2014 first round series against the Los Angeles Clippers.

To be sure, Green's new status as the Warriors' sixth man is not so much a demotion as it is a rejiggering; Green will almost surely still play heavy minutes and be a major part of Golden State's game plan, no matter whether he starts or not . Instead, bringing him off the bench is simply a way to better balance the rotation, allowing the Warriors to stagger the minutes of Green and starting center Kevon Looney so that at least one of them is always on the floor. Through the first three games of the Playoffs, the Warriors have been outscored by 13.51 points per 100 possessions when neither Green nor Looney are on the court. Against a team as potent as the Sacramento Kings, it makes sense that the Warriors should try to avoid that situation as much as possible, even if their method of doing so may seem extreme.

In Green's absence, Looney was a revelation for the Warriors in Game 3, posting a dominant four point, 20 rebound and nine assist stat line to help carry the Warriors to their first win of the postseason.