Getty Steve Kerr speaks to Draymond Green during a Golden State Warriors game.
With Draymond Green struggling late in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he had to put the team’s needs above the veteran big man’s feelings.
Though Green was a key part of the team’s closing lineup throughout the season — and most of his 10 seasons with the team — Kerr decided to bench him for key stretches of the critical game. The decision worked, with the Warriors winning the game to tie the series. The decision also seemed to spark a turnaround in Green, who turned in some of his best performances over the next two games as the Warriors turned a 2-1 series deficit into a 4-2 win for their fourth NBA title in the last eight seasons.
Kerr is now opening up about benching Green, explaining how he came to the difficult decision.
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Kerr Defends Move to Bench Green
The decision to bench Green made waves at the time. The veteran big man was coming off a Game 3 performance in which he scored just two points on 1-of-4 shooting with two turnovers before fouling out. Green shot poorly early in Game 4 as well, missing all four of his first-half shots.
As his struggles continued late into the fourth quarter, Kerr decided to pull Green for a long stretch and inserted him in only for defensive possessions. Speaking to Warriors wing Andre Iguodala and co-host Evan Turner on the “Point Forward Podcast,” Kerr said he felt comfortable making the move because the Warriors needed to shake things up.
“I’ve been here now eight years so I know all these guys so well,” Kerr said. “I didn’t really think much about it when I took Draymond out in Game 4, because that unit was not doing well so I was really looking for a shift. And I was thinking I would just take him out for a minute or two and then get him back.”
Heart & Soul
4x CHAMPION DRAYMOND GREEN
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Kerr added that there was nothing personal about the decision and that Green handled it well, staying ready for when he was inserted back into the game.
“In the NBA if you find a group that works, then you stick with it and it doesn’t matter who is on the floor. You can’t worry about anybody’s feelings being hurt or anything like that,” Kerr said. “So when that group started to play well, I wasn’t paying any attention to the bench, but Andre, you were there and I’ve heard since that you were there talking to Draymond and I’m sure he was staying ready. Sure enough, when the run ended and we went back to him, he was great and made huge plays down the stretch and it all worked out.”
Green Responded
The decision to bench Green not only helped the Warriors grind out a victory, it also helped give a reset of sorts to Green. The Athletic’s Steve Berman noted that Green played well when he did see the floor of the fourth quarter of Game 4, including a critical pair of offensive rebounds.
“Draymond took the benching in stride and made several key plays when they needed him most. Almost like the benching was a mental reset of sorts,” he tweeted.
Green later turned in an all-around great performance in the clinching Game 6, scoring 12 points with 12 rebounds, eight assists, two steals and two blocks. After the game, Green said he knew he would bounce back from the poor performances earlier in the series.
June 16, 2015: Warriors win first title with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green
June 16, 2022: Warriors win fourth title with the same core
“I didn’t learn anything about myself, I been knew I was resilient,” Green said, adding, “Nobody gave me this, I had to work every second of my life.”
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Warriors’ Kerr Breaks Silence on Benching Draymond Green in Finals