With just two wins to go before securing a trip to the NBA Finals, the Golden State Warriors are back on top of the basketball world, and Draymond Green is leading the charge.
With solid performances on both ends of the floor, Green is doing everything he can to bring another title to San Francisco, and this year may be one of his finest yet.
As Green told ESPN, he’s feeling better mentally now than he ever has in his career before:
Following a down 2019-20 and postseason absence, the Warriors’ fiery leader is not only eager to remind what he can do on this stage again, but he’s ready to show he is the best version of Playoff Draymond yet.
“I think that’s very scary for people,” Green told ESPN. “And that’s why I feel so confident … people had a hard time dealing with me before. [But] I’m in a space now that’s a totally different, better space. Not even close. Much, much better than I was in before.”
Green said he has never been more “locked in” mentally and defensively, even during the Warriors’ run to five straight NBA Finals, than he is now. He’s allowing 37.3% shooting as a closest defender in the 2022 playoffs, his best in the Steve Kerr era when excluding last year’s play-in, according to Second Spectrum.
“I feel like right now, I am at the highest as far as my mental capacity that I’ve ever been. For sure.”
Statistically, Draymond doesn’t always impress. He’s not one of those guys that will get you 20 and 10 every single night.
Instead, he does all the little things that make a huge difference in games. What he brings defensively is so valuable and rare that it gets him the notoriety of a top-10 scorer.
With Dray at his peak, it’s not surprising that Golden State is making so much noise, and they will need him to continue this level of play if they want to complete their title run as winners.
