Getty/Tim Nwachukwu Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors gets emotional against the Philadelphia 76ers in Philadelphia.
Compared with the Phoenix Suns, the Warriors‘ play has been subpar and has left a lot to be desired. Just the past three games, they have been stomped by the Jazz, lost a nail biter to the struggling Knicks at home, and then barely squeaked by a Lakers squad that has been going through their own struggles.
A lot of this can be traced back to the absence of Draymond Green. After their torrid start where they matched the Suns record step by step, the team has been playing close to .500 ball without their defensive stalwart. The former second round pick has been out since early January, but has openly said he hopes to return around the start of March.
Green was at Super Bowl LVI enjoying the game with LeBron James in a suite. During the game, Green shared an Instagram story that seemed to be directed at his team.
Draymond has a message
😤🔜
Green and some of the other veterans have plenty of experience of getting to the Finals, but the team is now made up of much younger players, many whom have not even tasted the playoffs. It makes perfect sense the former defensive player of the year would send this type of message to his teammates, especially to get them amped for the stretch run. There are only 25 games left in the regular season, so it is imperative the Warriors are able to at least stay in the second seed to get a favorable opponent once the playoffs get underway.
Draymond Green’s Intense Nature
Known as a fiery presence throughout his career, Greens’ persona fits perfectly with mild-mannered superstar Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson. Green is one to always have his teammates back, and also leads by example with his intense work ethic.
In 2019, the Athletic’s Ethan Strauss spoke to Kevon Looney about his evolution as a player in Golden State. The former first round pick tells of an instance when Draymond got on his case about his work ethic.
“I was a rookie, and I was hurt, coming into practice around 10:30 a.m.,” Looney reminisced. “I couldn’t do anything. I was on crutches. Draymond came up to me, and said, “Whatchu’ doing?!’”
In that moment, it seemed like Looney might get some sympathy, or perhaps a reassurance that he could go home and rest up. He was in pain and the team seemed fine without him. That wasn’t the focus of Draymond’s concerns, though. Instead, the All-Star berated the rookie, bellowing, “You should have been here an hour ago!”
“That stuck with me this whole time. After that, I always tried to be first every day, get some work in, take care of my body. When the coaches tell you to work hard, be there at 9 o’clock, make sure to be early. If you’re not early, you’re late.”
Looney is now in his seventh season with the Warriors, and has turned into a veteran for the team. Due to the teams’ lack of size, he operates as the main clog at the five for the Warriors. Looney has struggled to stay healthy early in his career, but he has yet to miss a game this season. Undoubtedly, Looney would not be where he is at without the tutelage of Green.
Players’ Status Against the Clippers
The Warriors play the Clippers tonight at Crypto Arena, before heading home to host the Nuggets on Wednesday.
According to head coach Steve Kerr, Andre Iguodala went through shootaround this morning, but will remain sidelined through the All-Star Break. In the past three and half weeks, Iguodala has only played for five minutes against Oklahoma City before he re-injured his back. The team has decided to take a cautious approach with the veteran and hold him out until late February at the earliest.
Jonathan Kuminga will start his third straight game at power forward, and look to build upon his impressive stretch of games, where he has scored in double digits for six straight games. This is the longest consistency that the rookie has shown, and he looks to keep that going against an undermanned Clippers squad.