Getty Golden State Warriors forward's Kevin Durant and Draymond Green
Draymond Green isn’t crazy, he’s certainly not selfish and he’s almost always outspoken. But beyond all of that, the Golden State Warriors forward has appeared to remain openly honest throughout his NBA career. Yet when his comments on injured teammate Kevin Durant came after Golden State’s series-clinching Game 6 victory, they were still attention-grabbing.
But, of course, they were honest.
The Warriors went on the road to close out the reigning NBA Most Valuable Player in James Harden and the Houston Rockets on Friday night without both Durant and DeMarcus Cousins. While Durant is out at least until some point during the Western Conference Finals, Green said something after the win that stood out.
“We still need KD back. But we can get him back now,” Green said with a smile on his face, as The Athletic’s Anthony Slater revealed.
It was a moment of clarity of sorts for the NBA world because, not surprisingly, the chatter about how the Warriors don’t need Durant would surely start soon after. But Green summed it up simply by letting everyone know that Golden State does need him, and without saying it – that he’s excited for him to return, whenever that is.
Draymond Green’s Comments on Kevin Durant Injury
Green went to bat for his entire team after their 118-113 win on Friday night, which isn’t surprising considering virtually every player who saw the court stepped up in some fashion. But to hear Draymond say that about Durant, a player who he had a feud with earlier this year, which was believed to be over KD’s future, is worth noting.
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No one knows what Durant will do in NBA free agency, and while the chatter around him leaving for the New York Knicks or Brooklyn Nets looms, another round of rumors has come to light.
After Durant suffered a strained right calf in Game 5 of the team’s second-round series, The Athletic’s Sam Amick offered an interesting piece of reporting. According to Amick, there’s a sense around the Warriors that Durant may not choose to leave the team this offseason.
There’s a recent sense in Warriors circles that maybe he’ll think twice about joining them on this trek across the Bay Bridge, that this recent stretch of domination and fan appreciation might be the kind of thing that convinces him to – cue LeBron James’ personal motto that hasn’t exactly panned out in Laker Land – RWTW (Roll With The Winners).
Obviously, this doesn’t mean a whole lot at this moment, but it’s still interesting. Durant received a massive amount of support from the Warriors fanbase and his teammates after the injury. And now, comments like this from Green are only going to stand out more moving forward.
Warriors Rally for Game 6 Win Over Rockets
When looking at the play of Green in Game 6, he did what we’ve become so accustomed to seeing – a little of everything. His night finished with eight points on 4-of-9 shooting with 10 rebounds and seven assists. While Green didn’t shoot much, he left that to three other members of the starting five and a few second-unit players who stepped up.
Klay Thompson was red-hot on this night, hitting 10-of-20 shots and 7-of-13 from beyond the arc en route to 27 points. Andre Iguodala did a bit of everything, scoring 17 points with five steals and three assists on 5-of-8 shooting from 3-point range.
And then there was Stephen Curry, who was being destroyed on social media after going scoreless in the first half. But Curry bounced back in superb fashion, scoring 33 points in the second half and adding five rebounds with four assists to round out his stat line.
The bench featured five different players scoring, including Kevon Looney with 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting and Shaun Livingston with 11 points on 4-of-6 from the field and a net rating of +14. The Warriors received production from all over the roster, and it was needed in order to wrap up this series and advance to the Western Conference Finals.
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