Getty Golden State Warriors stars Draymond Green and Jordan Poole celebrate during a game against Charlotte Hornets.
For a team that has been the envy of the hardwood universe for the better part of a decade — one that prides itself on doing things the right way at every level — the Golden State Warriors have been at the center of an incredible amount of drama in recent weeks.
If not for the Ime Udoka situation in Boston, Draymond Green’s punch to the face of teammate Jordan Poole during Warriors practice two weeks ago may be the scandal of the year in the Association. Some would argue that it still takes top honors.
Regardless, the Dubs are attempting to put the incident behind them and focus instead on the task of defending their NBA championship.
To that end, professionalism and the team’s will to win look to be beating out any bad juju that’s currently lingering. And according to league insider Marc Stein, Green’s feet will be held to the fire as the 2022-23 campaign unfolds.
Stein Gives His Read on the Green-Poole Aftermath
In his latest newsletter, Stein put out his list of eight (almost) fearless predictions for the forthcoming season. And where the Warriors’ and the Cs’ respective dramas were concerned, he predicted that the Bay Area Crew would be the one that bounced back better.
Wrote Stein: “The reigning champions have more seen-it-all vets on their roster and thus much more experience dealing with various crises than the team they outlasted in six games just four months ago in the NBA Finals.”
The longtime hoops scribe further noted that Green would be feeling the heat in his attempt to remain (or get back into) in everyone’s good graces. Nevertheless, he’s betting on the baller rising to the occasion and things eventually falling into place for Golden State.
“Throw in the lucrative contract extensions that Jordan Poole and Andrew Wiggins just scored, as well as the sudden overwhelming pressure on Draymond Green to be on his best behavior after his indefensible practice-floor punch that decked Poole, and the math suggests that the Warriors are bound to reestablish some sense of normalcy by the time next spring’s playoffs start.”
Young Dubs Could See Increased Workload in Opening Games
The Warriors’ dual-timeline approach to building their roster has left them with one of the more intriguing bench units league-wide. While veterans JaMychal Green and Donte DiVincenzo will be there to steer the ship, fans will no doubt be watching blue-chip youngsters Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman and Moses Moody — as well as rookies Patrick Baldwin Jr. and Ryan Rollins — with keen interest throughout the season.
According to Warriors coach Steve Kerr, fans may just be seeing more of the up-and-comers during the team’s early contests than anyone would have predicted, too. The reason: his core vets aren’t yet ready from a conditioning standpoint to take on a full workload.
“I don’t I don’t think we’re ready to have our top five or six guys play 30-plus minutes a night,” Kerr said on Monday, via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kerith Burke. “So we’ve got to rely on our depth.”