Getty/Ezra Shaw Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green pump each other up after Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Trailblazers.
When you look at the box score, Draymond Green’s stats usually do not jump out. Green played his entire career with two of the best shooters of all-time, so there is absolutely no reason for him to look to do much outside of playmaking and being the Warriors’ defensive anchor.
However, that doesn’t stop critics or naysayers from trolling Green’s lack of counting stats. The Michigan State product has not averaged double digit scoring since the 2017-18 season.
Charles Barkley lambasted Greens’ numbers by saying that Green averaged a triple single several years ago.
Charles Barkley roasting Draymond Green “Draymond don’t talk as much since he’s averaging that triple single”
Yet, Green is the engine that keeps the Warriors success intact. With him on the court, the offense runs like a well-oiled machine, humming along with Steph Curry and Klay Thompson getting wide open looks from distance. Everyone saw what happened when Green missed 29 straight games, and the Dubs went 16-13, falling out of contention for the top seed, and currently down to third in the standings.
And just like Green averaging single digit points, where the Warriors are in the standings truly doesn’t matter. During his postgame interview after a win on March 14, Green guarantees they would win the title–a claim he says he made months ago.
Draymond: “Whether we’re the No. 2 seed or No. 3 seed, we’re going to win a championship”
The four-time All-Star practically promises the Dubs will win their 7th title this season, regardless of where they finish in the conference standings. The level of confidence shows how comfortable Green feels playing with Curry and Thompson.
Importance of Green Back on Court
Per Warriors PR, it has been 1,005 days—almost three calendar years—since Thompson, Green, Curry were on the court together. Yet, when Green took the court, anyone could see how comfortable Green and the Splash Brothers looked on the court. It took Green just 11 seconds on the court for him to set up Curry for a three.
Draymond checks in and immediately gets Steph going with a dime!
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Green posted his usual 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists in 20 minutes. The former Defensive Player of the Year is slated to play in the last 5 minutes of every quarter in the first week of his return. He posted a team high +24 while he was on the court.
After such a tough stretch, where they lost 9 of 11 (before their current four-game win streak), it may seem surprising to see Green make such a bold claim, but looking at their track record, it may not seem so far-fetched. All three seem to be on the court healthy for the first-time since the 2019 season, and that is all Warrior fans can hope for heading into April.
Vegas Has Warriors Second Best Odds to Win Title
After two tough seasons where the Warriors missed the playoffs, nobody could have predicted the Dubs would find themselves back in the top tier of the league, and doing all of this before their Big 3 played a single game together until mid-March.
Green finally returned to the lineup on March 14 against the Wizards, and the Warriors odds of winning the title moved up significantly to +450 per DraftKings Sportsbook. This is interesting, given the second seed Grizzles are a half game up on the Warriors, yet only are at +2500 odds to win the title.
The Suns are favorites at +380, and then four Eastern Conference teams follow the Warriors for best odds to win. The Dubs having such unfavorable odds compared to other teams is largely due to the experience, and track record of how the Curry, Thompson, and Green dominant opponents.