The Golden State Warriors are going through a tough phase and after their heart-breaking 124-123 defeat against the Sacramento Kings, Stephen Curry talked about Draymond Green’s return from suspension and the latter offered some advice to the big man.
Green returned from a five-match suspension after choke holding Rudy Gobert during their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
As per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater, Curry wants Green to be more focused and fiery and not to get distracted by the outside noise. “For him, be fiery. Be competitive,” Curry said. “Be who you are. But we all have to be mindful of not getting distracted and just try to play basketball.”
He wants his star big man to be focused and not get distracted following the altercation with Gobert. Green has been heavily criticized for his actions against Gobert on social media.
Over the years, Draymond Green has been a very loving leader for the Warriors and he would go out of his way to fight for his teammates. However, there have been many moments where the veteran has lost his cool and put his team in trouble. He has had a long history of on-court altercations and the Gobert chokehold just adds to that list of unfortunate incidents.
In an article written by Fan Nation’s Inside the Warriors writer Joey Linn, Curry spoke about Green’s importance in this team. He highlighted how happy he is that Green is back with the team.
We’re 8-9,” Curry said. “That nine-game stretch we’re in right now has not been great. I know Draymond is excited to be back, we’re excited to have him, we need him. Overall, how we talked about that last couple practice sessions we had a week ago to kinda focus on the areas of improvement. … Draymond being back helps a lot.”
Curry points out how Green is a leader on court and not having him in the team is a major disadvantage for them. He feels apart from his defensive output, the team also missed the way he communicates issues on the court during his absence.
“Not just because of what he does defensively,” Curry added, “but because of the way he communicates. But it won’t solve everything. So we have to address those, especially going into [Sacramento], because we know how their offense is.”
Apart from his massive defensive output and his leadership skills, Green is a primary playmaker for the Warriors. His basketball IQ and his out-court vision are still among the best in the game.
