Getty Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors and Damian Lillard of the Portland Trail Blazers.
Despite their struggles this season, there’s no denying the dominance of the Golden State Warriors over the past decade. The trio of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green has established itself as one of the greatest in league history.
The latter of those three players may have had the most unconventional path to stardom, as Green is far from the typical NBA player. After the Portland Trail Blazers’ February 13 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, Damian Lillard revealed a story about Green from when he first entered the NBA.
“Draymond Green is another example,” Lillard said via the Trail Blazers’ official YouTube channel. “I remember when me and Draymond first came in the league, he would be like, ‘Man, I should be playing. And I could be doing this. And I could be doing that.’ And, you know, people thought he was crazy, too. I mean, nobody remembers, but people thought that about him too until they threw him out there and he started averaging nine assists and was basically the engine to that team. So, I’m not comparing the two. But it’s that same mentality and that confidence and belief in yourself.”
Lillard was discussing second-year forward Trendon Watford when he brought up the example of Green. Watford plays with extreme confidence that Lillard was likening to Green’s, as the Blazers forward just put up some solid stats in their win over the Lakers.
Watford only played 17:31 against Los Angeles, but in that time, he poured in eight points, four rebounds, and three assists, doing a little bit of everything for Portland. Meanwhile, Lillard ended the night with a ridiculous 40-point performance to go along with six boards and five assists.
Draymond Green Discusses Warriors Frustrations
Golden State’s legacy may be safe, but their play this year has them on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. They still have time to adjust, but right now, they’re struggling to stay above .500 for more than a day or two.
When asked about the frustrations, Green admitted that they’re there, but also that nobody is going to feel sorry for the reigning champions.
“I think when you’re losing games and you’re .500, if you’re not a .500 level team it gets frustrating. But, no one’s going to feel sorry for us,” Green said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “No one’s going to feel sorry for us, so it is what it is. You gotta keep fighting to dig yourself out of it and find a way.”
Draymond Green Sounds Off on James Wiseman
The Warriors did make a move at the trade deadline in an attempt to improve, though. They added Gary Payton II and shipped out James Wiseman. After the deal was reported, Green sent a message to Wiseman on a recent edition of his podcast, The Draymond Green Show.
“Number one, I want to say, to James Wiseman, man, Jimmy Wise, not an ideal start to your NBA career,” Green said. “I mean, not ideal at all. Being moved to the Detroit Pistons gives James an opportunity to restart that. And I think that’s such a beautiful thing. I feel like in this trade, James Wiseman gets what he needs, the Warriors got what they need. James Wiseman needs to go somewhere where he can play, where he can get minutes and reps, and he’s not expected to compete at a championship level. And he did that. Or, they did that – it’s happening for him in going to Detroit, where you’re with a bunch of other young guys who [are] going to make a ton of mistakes. And you just get to play through those mistakes and learn through those mistakes, because as we know, in life, experience is life’s greatest teacher. So for James Wiseman to go to a situation where he will have the opportunity to play and play through mistakes. It’s great for him, because he’s super talented, super skilled, but just [hasn’t] had the reps.”