Warriors’ Draymond Green Says Playoff Opponents ‘Going to Be Terrified’

Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors

Getty Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on December 13, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

The short-lived era of the Golden State Warriors as league doormat has come to an end, Draymond Green says.

As the Warriors prepare to enter the NBA playoffs for the first time in three seasons, Green spoke out about the difference he’s seen in opponents compared to the last two years, when the Warriors sunk to the bottom of the league in 2020 and then failed to advance out of the play-in tournament last year.

Green said once the playoffs start, he expects opponents to have flashbacks to the version of the Warriors that ran roughshod through the Western Conference for five years.

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Teams Will Fear Warriors Again

Appearing on Good Word with Goodwill on Yahoo Sports, Green said that teams stopped fearing the Warriors when they were hit hard by injuries. Klay Thompson missed two-and-a-half years with a torn ACL followed by a torn Achilles, Steph Curry missed nearly the entire 2020 season, and all three were out for significant stretches this season.

But Green said he started to see the fear come back as the Warriors got healthy this season. By the time the playoffs roll around, he believes they’ll be “terrified.”

“If you keep running up against a team that don’t have all their guys, of course you don’t have to fear anything,” Green said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “But when we were rolling at the beginning of the season and on top of Klay coming back, then everyone was terrified.

“I don’t doubt we step on the court whole in playoffs, guys are going to be terrified. Don’t doubt that one bit.”


Warriors Have More Work to Do

There still could be some work to do as the Warriors return to full health. Curry missed the final stretch of the season with a foot injury, and though he is expected to be back for the playoffs, there could be some tough decisions for the Warriors.

While Curry has been rehabbing his foot, third-year guard Jordan Poole has slid into the starting lineup. Poole is enjoying a breakout season, averaging 18.4 points per game to go along with 3.4 rebounds and 4 assists. He has been particularly hot in the last five games, averaging 25.6 points, 7.2 assists and 6 rebounds per game. That includes a 38-point outburst against the Phoenix Suns on March 30.

Green said he believes Poole has earned himself a spot in the starting lineup once Curry returns, and put it on Warriors head coach Steve Kerr to figure out how to juggle the smaller lineup.

“I’m not sure he goes back to the second unit,” Green said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “That’s still to be decided and that’s not an easy decision to make. So I’m not going to sit up here and [be] coach Kerr and it’s my decision whether he goes back to the second unit or not. But coach Kerr is a very smart coach, very smart man and just because Steph comes back doesn’t mean you totally take the ball out of Jordan’s hands, he’s done well. What you’ve learned is that you have another weapon to get Steph off the ball and allow Jordan to make some plays as well.

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