The Golden State Warriors and head coach Steve Kerr have opted to hold out All-Star candidate D'Angelo Russell for the fifth consecutive game Wednesday against the Milwaukee Bucks. Russell returned to practice Tuesday as he works his way back from a shoulder injury, but Kerr stated Wednesday that he was just focused on Russell strengthening the shoulder.

“I'm hoping he will play next game, but [he is] day-to-day,” Kerr said of Russell's status for Friday's game versus the Los Angeles Clippers, via Logan Murdock of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Without D'Angelo Russell in the mix, Alec Burks has been the focal point of the team's offense, a sharp contrast to what Warriors fans have come to expect over the past half-decade. Draymond Green returned to the lineup Wednesday, but he has been battling myriad ailments of his own this season.

Golden State has little incentive to push Russell back into action. Entering Wednesday, they sat in the cellar of the Western Conference with a 9-29 record.

When he has been healthy to suit up, Russell's first season with the Warriors has objectively been a success. Across 22 games, he has averaged 23.2 points on a nightly basis, including having gone for at least 20 in each of his last six contests. With both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson in street clothes, Russell has been given an enormous offensive workload on a nightly basis.

Should Russell remain out Friday, it's likely that rookie Ky Bowman continues to see a large share of ball-handling duties. Los Angeles won the first matchup between the two teams convincingly back on Opening Night.