Draymond Green has had a rough go-around in the NBA Finals so far. He had an encouraging performance in Game 5 to help the Warriors take a 3-2 lead, but this is not the same player we saw lead the Warriors in the 2016 Game 7 against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
A few injury-riddled seasons saw the Warriors go from being on the cusp of a three-peat to being a 15-win team, a massive fall-off for the dynastic team. Amazingly, they rebuilt over the last two seasons and currently are one win away from being NBA Champions again.
The Warriors stars not named Stephen Curry have all seen an evident decline in their ability. Thompson is off two debilitating injuries, Andre Iguodala is not in the rotation, and Draymond’s performances have been on the decline. Naturally, that has made Green extremely thankful and appreciative of the fact that the Warriors are still in this position.
"You just understand that you don't have these opportunities often. When you do, you have to enjoy them, embrace them, and share them with the people you love."
Draymond Green on sharing this moment with his family and not taking this opportunity for granted. pic.twitter.com/Mp5OsBtVSM
— NBA (@NBA) June 15, 2022
“After the last two years, you just realize it’s not guaranteed. Anything can happen in the blink of an eye that changes everything. So you just understand that you don’t have these opportunities often, and when you do, you have to enjoy them, embrace them, and share them with the people you love.”
The Warriors are looking as reinforced as they have ever been, with depth through the roster. Outside their trio, they have an All-Star in Andrew Wiggins, along with emerging talents like Jordan Poole, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody. They have a fantastic bench stopper in Gary Payton II and have James Wiseman coming back after a season-long absence.
This team dominated the past, looks like champions now, and is set up to continue that form in the future. The current trio will eventually age out of the league, so every Finals appearance before that happens will be that much sweeter.
