Warriors’ Draymond Green Sounds Off on Teammate Struggles: ‘He’s Back’

Getty Draymond Green argues with a referee during a game against the Washington Wizards.

The Golden State Warriors blew past the Dallas Mavericks to start the series and took a 1-0 series lead against the Dallas Mavericks. With so many offensive weapons at the Dubs’ disposal, many of their main players can have off-nights.

Klay Thompson finished with a decent line of 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, on 7-of-13 shooting. All of his points came in the second half, as the Warriors did not need his production for Game 1.

This was in contrast to his Game 6 performance against the Memphis Grizzlies, where he lit it up with 8 three-pointers, and 30 points. The Warriors needed every bit of his shooting, as many of his teammates had off nights.

After missing the better part of two and a half seasons, Thompson came back earlier in January and has been seeing his consistency starting to become more common. Now in the playoffs, every game is looked upon with a microscope, and Thompson’s games have still been up and down.

When Thompson plays well he does get praised, but when he struggles—like in Game 4 against the Grizzlies—Thompson gets torched by fans and the media.

However, one of his teammates isn’t buying the narrative that the sharpshooter is still working his way back, so to speak.

Draymond Green Is Tired of the Negative Narratives Surrounding Klay Thompson

Over the last few months, there has been a narrative-driven point, mostly by the media about how Thompson has looked awful at times. After practice on May 19, Draymond Green made sure to throw his support behind his long-time teammate and throw that narrative out the window.

“From where he’s come from January 9 to today is incredible. Being able to compete at this level and do it after what he’s gone through is amazing,” Green says with vigor. “I’ve been seeing narratives like Klay’s been playing bad…and I actually leave the game like, ‘Man, he’s playing really good basketball.’ And so yeah, it really just goes to show me how people can only identify if you’re making or missing shots because the game he’s been playing on the floor and impact at winning has been the same Klay I’ve always been battled within the playoffs.”

The narrative of Thompson’s inconsistencies has even got into his head. Green points out that he’s heard Thompson speaking about still working to return to form in his press conferences.

“It’s pretty funny the narrative around,” Green says with vigor. “I hope he don’t believe that narrative. It kinda sounds like he does to say, ‘I’m still working to get back.’ No, the hell he not. He’s back.”

Green Speaks on Things Thompson Brings Besides His Shooting to Prove Point

To be fair to Thompson, he still has been tasked to guard the top-3 offensive options of opposing teams. Thompson cannot stay in front of his opponents as well as he did earlier in his career, but he also has not been a terrible option defensively.

“When he’s picked up guys that he’s needed to pick up, he’s guarded them well,” Green talks about Thompson’s other parts of his game. “He’s been defending well, he’s been rebounding well, he’s been boxing out, he’s been doing all the little stuff that non-basketball watchers or readers or analysts or whatever you want to call it… can’t see.”

In the last four games against the Grizzlies, Thompson grabbed 27 rebounds. He even blocked three shots in the series-clinching Game 6 against the Grizzlies. He followed that off with two more blocks against the Mavericks in Game 1.

“Was he working his way back then or was he just in the shooting slump,” Green asks rhetorically. “And now are we going to say, ‘Ah man, he’s still working his way back?’ No, give that man his credit for what he’s been doing on the basketball floor. He’s playing incredible basketball.”