The Golden State Warriors‘ disappointing 2025-26 campaign came to a disappointing end when they were eliminated from the NBA’s Play-In Tournament by the Phoenix Suns. With that, a wildly important offseason has gotten underway, where the futures of head coach Steve Kerr and forward Draymond Green appear to be very much up in the air.
For years, Kerr and Green have played key roles in the Warriors’ dynastic run, but the wheels appear to be falling off, despite the team’s best efforts to remain competitive for as long as Stephen Curry is in town. With his future very much unknown, Green recently issued some controversial comments regarding Kerr that will surely catch the attention of fans everywhere.
Draymond Green Claims Steve Kerr ‘Hindered’ His Career
Green has spent all but two seasons of his career playing for Kerr, and once the latter arrived in 2014, he instantly helped Green become one of the best defensive players in the league. While Green has always been known as a defensive stalwart, he has never really been known as a skilled offensive player.
Now, when you play alongside guys like Curry, Kevin Durant, and Klay Thompson, there are only so many shots to go around. But for much of his career, Green has had to accept a sidekick role on offense for the greater good of the team. When picking between any of those three guys and Green to take an important shot, pretty much everyone is going to pick someone in that first group.
There’s no doubt that Green has accomplished a lot from both a team and individual perspective throughout his career. However, he also believes that he could have achieved more on the offensive side of the ball had he been given more responsibility. Green prefaced his comments by saying he’s grateful for Kerr, but he also feels that, in a way, he has “hindered” his career by making him play second fiddle on offense for much of their time together.
“As much as he’s done for me in basketball, a part of me thinks he’s hindered me in my career and what I could have become,” Green said of Kerr on “The Draymond Green Show.” “When (Kevin Durant) came from 2016 on, I have not had a play in our playbook … You think that would hinder someone as an offensive player? Of course … Sometimes I sit there and think, ‘What could I really have been if I stayed true to my game and what I really was?’”
Did Steve Kerr Really ‘Hinder’ Draymond Green’s Career?
GettySACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 28: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors talks to head coach Steve Kerr after receiving a technical foul in the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings during the NBA In-Season Tournament game at Golden 1 Center on November 28, 2023 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Even without considering who Green has played alongside, he has never been known for his offense. His career-high in the points per game category came back during the 2015-16 season, when he was dropping 14 per contest. For his career, though, he only averages 8.7 points per game, and his efficiency from the field (44.7 FG%) isn’t particularly good, even though he has only averaged 7.2 shots per game.
Could Green have done more had he played alongside guys who weren’t as skilled as Curry, Durant, or Thompson? Sure, but much of the winning he enjoyed throughout his career would not exist simply because Green is not on the same sort of offensive threat as those guys. So while Kerr may have limited Green’s overall involvement in Golden State’s offense, the truth is that pretty much every other coach would have done the exact same thing if they were in his shoes.
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