Why Draymond Green is key to whether Warriors scrap or stumble to end season

SAN FRANCISCO – Diminished by a fractured roster and losing eight of their last 12 games, the Warriors are hoping to avoid tumbling down a slope that will make the 2025-26 NBA season as forgettable as it is painful.That will require a heightened level of spirit, a virtue that has defined the distinguished NBA career of Draymond Green.Pardon Draymond, though, if he is grappling with maintaining his customary spirit.Green, who turns 36 on March 4, has been relatively subdued since the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline. He was told before the deadline that he could be moved and publicly expressed acceptance of it. He discussed with his family the possibility. When he still was on the roster after the deadline passed, general manager Mike Dunleavy then denied there was any consideration of trading Green.Draymond, who has been a pillar of the franchise since his second season (2013-14), surely spent a few days feeling expendable. Or confused. Or both.“I’ve talked about this occasionally this year, but how you approach the latter stages of your career as a player is so important,” coach Steve Kerr said Friday after practice. “And I think Draymond’s approach and attitude during this time, especially without Steph (Curry), where a lot of our weaknesses are exposed.“He’s handling things with a lot of dignity, and it’s not easy, especially when you have that kind of pride for being a great player.”Green’s best hopes for this season took a massive blow when Jimmy Butler III sustained a season-ending torn ACL. That preceded the sight of Curry limping off the floor and not knowing when, or if, he’ll return this season. Then the trade chatter. And Green’s career mortality. It’s a lot to process.With all that could be swirling about his mind, pardon Green if he might feel a bit wounded. Is it conceivable that the man who for years has embraced the role as lighter of the team’s spiritual flame is struggling to light his own?The Draymond who took the floor Thursday night in a 121-110 loss to the Boston Celtics was profoundly ineffective. He played 19 minutes and was scoreless on 0-of-7 shooting, including 0 of 5 from distance. He had three assists and two rebounds and finished a team-worst minus-28.Moreover, Green spent the entire fourth quarter on the bench as his teammates made a brief comeback attempt, slicing 23 points off what had been a 34-point deficit. Those teammates have made two successful comebacks (Feb. 5 at Phoenix and Feb. 9 against Memphis) with Green mostly as an observer.“You have a night like that, it’s tough,” Kerr said. “And it’s so important that he keeps his spirits up like he did last night, but that we help him. That we help the team, as a staff, develop a better rhythm, and that what we’re trying to do collectively.”Green clearly misses Butler and Curry and, frankly, looks somewhat discouraged with what is left of the active roster. There were a couple times Thursday when Green’s annoyance was visible.“I’ve got to do a better job of helping Draymond,” Kerr said. “The game is so different without Steph. Those two guys have built such a rapport. For 14 years now, they’ve been playing together. The two-man game with those two guys has been our bread and butter. And when Steph goes out, it really changes everything in terms of how defenses guard us, and it impacts Draymond probably more than anybody.”Curry is sidelined by “runner’s knee” and will miss the next four more games. Realistically, he could miss several more.If Green can’t fight through that – and whatever else is on his mind – to deliver his usual energy, the team’s so-called ceiling for this season is destined to take yet another drop.Kerr knows this is imperative, which is why the coaching staff often involves Green in discussions of strategy and schemes. The point is to keep him engaged and motivated. “One of the things I really respect about Draymond and admire is his basketball IQ,” Kerr said. “And his understanding of the game and how we need to evolve and shift – both without Steph and, last year. with Jimmy. There’s a lot of subtleties that really factor in.”If Green can summon his best self, which is not as magnificent as it was in 2016, that slope levels off for the Warriors. If he can’t, it almost certainly becomes a slick slide into sub-mediocrity.Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast

Why Draymond Green is key to whether Warriors scrap or stumble to end season

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