Draymond Green made a comeback to the Warriors after 12 games away due to suspension He has returned to a Warriors squad outside of the playoffs, a possibility which became even more real tonight after the Warriors lost to a Grizzlies squad without half their rotation.
Green wasn’t pleased with how his teammates played on the defensive end tonight, requesting his teammates to play with more defensive pride going forward.
“We have got to have pride in ourselves as men like, ‘I’m not letting this guy score on me’. Closeouts were too soft, our rotations were too slow. There was no pride. Until every guy takes pride in themselves and wants to stop the guy in front, we’ll suck.”
"Until every guy takes pride in themselves, and wants to stop the guy in front of him, we'll suck."
Draymond on the Warriors' lack of defensive intensity pic.twitter.com/uTiJEKyf6r
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) January 16, 2024
The game ended 116-107 in Memphis’ favor as they got huge performances from players like Vince Williams Jr. and GG Jackson in their first year with the franchise. With Desmond Bane and Ja Morant being out of the team, they have had little chance of a win, even against a struggling Warriors squad. However, their willingness to compete regardless of the opposition ensured the young Grizz went harder for the win than the Warriors.
Green is returning after a controversial season where he choked out Rudy Gobert and then punched Jusuf Nurkic in the same month, despite also serving a suspension for the Gobert incident. He sets the tone defensively for the Warriors but hasn’t played enough to do that this season.
Green came off the bench tonight and ended with seven points, seven rebounds, and four assists in a decent showing back.
The Warriors Are Fragile
Calling the players of a basketball team fragile is something people may frown upon, especially when it’s a team like the Warriors that have won four championships over the last nine years. But multiple people have referred to the franchise as fragile right now and it’s hard to question those voices.
Vince Carter called the franchise fragile recently.
“You never can count these guys out, but you know, I think they are fragile. I think they’re fragile right now. And I think they need to, they need to find some youth in some office.”
After a home loss to the Pelicans, even Steve Kerr said that the team is fragile right now and that his old ways of motivating them out of a slump won’t work due to their fragility.
“As a coach, it’s a delicate balance. When we’re fragile like we are right now, I don’t think screaming and yelling at them is going to work. I’m trying to keep their confidence up, I’m trying to encourage them. At some point, that may have to change. We can’t go on like this – two straight games, noncompetitive at home. We have to find some fight. We may have to resort to some different tactics.”
Given the insecurity about playing time for multiple stars, inconsistent form, and veterans getting worse with age, the Golden State locker room is a pile of nerves and bad energy this season. Hopefully, they can turn it around soon, or else they’ll not be able to keep up with the playoff race in the West.
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