To understand the character Draymond Green has, all you had to do was watch him sitting on the bench in agony Tuesday night after injuring his left knee in the second half of Michigan State's 42-41 loss to Illinois.
Green couldn't put any weight on the leg, so the senior forward hopped on his right foot from the bench to Michigan State's huddle before the Spartans' final two possessions in hopes of providing some inspiration to his teammates.
Stories like that illustrate why it would be such a shame if Green's college career were to end prematurely without him getting one final shot to lead Michigan State back to the Final Four.
There was no contact that caused Green's injury, but he immediately clutched his knee and fell to the floor after apparently taking an awkward step while defending Illinois forward Myke Henry off the ball. Green chose not to speak to the media after the game and Tom Izzo told reporters in his postgame press conference that he won't have an update on the severity of the injury until after doctors examine Green further on Wednesday.
"I have no idea how he is," Izzo said. "I'm not even sure exactly what it is. I'm not sure he is or the doctors are."
The loss of Green would be devastating for a Michigan State team that otherwise has the look of a Final Four contender after surging into the top 10 following season-opening losses to Duke and North Carolina.
Green is one of the nation's most versatile forwards, scoring 14.9 points per game, grabbing 10.3 rebounds and dishing out 3.5 assists. Without the focal point of its already inconsistent offense, Michigan State would have little hope of overtaking Ohio State in the Big Ten title race or making much of a run in March.
Even before his second-half injury, Green wasn't having one of his better days in Champaign.
The senior was "sick as a dog" with the flu before the game and he played like it, scoring just five points on 1-for-6 shooting and logging just 16 minutes because of foul trouble. Green also got into a rare heated exchange with Izzo after picking up his third first-half foul on a charging call.
All that will quickly be forgiven, however, if Green gets good news from doctors on Wednesday. Michigan State fans everywhere will be anxiously waiting because their team's season likely hangs in the balance.
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