The Golden State Warriors have had to manage some outrageous expectations at times over the past decade or so, and veteran forward Draymond Green has been along for the ride.
Now, however, isn’t one of those times. The Warriors missed the playoffs last season and lost veteran sharpshooter Klay Thompson this offseason. Virtually nobody sees Golden State as a major title contender going into the 2024-25 season, meaning the Warriors are no longer dealing with some of those massive expectations.
The mission now for Golden State is to build toward the next championship, however long that takes.
“Whether we win another championship or not, if (the Warriors) win the championship seven years from now, 10 years from now, that’s our championship,” Green said. “Period.”
Green may or may not be active by the time the Warriors capture their next NBA title, but he’s clearly going to do his part to lay the groundwork to make it happen.
When it comes to the time he has left in the NBA, Green isn’t cashing it in. He thinks the Warriors can “do that s— again.”
“I know I ain’t done,” Green said. “I know he (Stephen Curry) ain’t done. So it ain’t like, ‘All right, I feel like I’m at the end. I’m cashing it in.’ Nah. We can do that s— again. I know we can do it again. I’m not a part of the consortium that don’t think we can get it done. But in doing it again, you’ve got to acknowledge that it’s not going to look like it did before. I’d struggle if we were just cashing it in. That ain’t for me. But I don’t feel like anyone around here is doing that. We’re actively trying to put the pieces together to build.”
Green already has a phenomenal resume. It features a number of individual accolades, but it’s hard to imagine that he cares about any of them more than he cares about his four NBA titles. He helped the Warriors win the NBA Finals in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2022.
He has also earned four All-Star bids, two All-NBA selections, eight All-Defensive nods and one Defensive Player of the Year award.
Green will likely be remembered as one of the most unique players of his generation. His impact isn’t always visible in the box score, but when it is, it can show up in a number of different categories, from points to rebounds to assists to steals to blocks. He holds career averages of 8.7 points, 7.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 block per game.
Now that the Warriors are dealing with a different level of expectations going into the 2024-25 season, they may be able to play a little looser. A simple trip to the playoffs would mark an improvement over last season, and knowing that that’s the case could be the type of thing that helps the team play more freely.
Ultimately, Green and Curry will look to make the most of their remaining years in the NBA, no matter what that looks like. Both players still have gas left in the tank, and as long as they do, the Warriors will certainly still attract attention from the NBA world. At the end of the day, everyone loves to watch living legends play.
But there’s clearly a goal in mind for Green: to help the Warriors get closer to another title, one way or another.
