The Golden State Warriors have had a tight-knit core of players that have been built by the franchise over the years. It all surrounds the trio of Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry, and Draymond Green. While Curry is clearly the on-court leader of the team with his sensational playing ability, Draymond is the vocal leader of the team.
Green can often be seen yelling at players on his own team, which he famously did against Kevin Durant in 2019 before KD left the team in free agency. Even though Green isn’t the most productive Warriors member and arguably their worst scoring player, he has garnered tremendous respect in the organization over the years for being their defensive anchor and a primary playmaker.
While Green yelling at his teammate has been a media issue before, Klay Thompson revealed that everyone on the team knows that Draymond will tear into them at a moment’s notice. Klay said that if a player can’t handle being yelled at by Dray, they can’t be a member of the Warriors locker room.
Klay Thompson: "If you can't be yelled at by Draymond, you can't play on the Warriors. It's kind've like a bylaw now."
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) September 25, 2022
Draymond Green: The Anchor Of The Golden State Warriors
As evidenced by Draymond’s time spent out with injury last season, he is crucial to the success of the team. Even if his counting stats don’t jump out of the box score, his impact on every facet of the game is remarkable. He has incredible floor vision and IQ, both offensively and defensively. That is how a 6’5″ non-shooter becomes a Defensive Player of the Year and the heart of a dynasty that has won 4 championships.
Green is going to be up for a contract extension and can walk as a free agent next offseason if he wants to. The star has already indicated that he won’t be receiving an extension this offseason and that he will be fighting for a max contract this season.
Losing Green will be a massive loss for the Warriors and will truly answer the question of whether they can succeed without Draymond. With talented young players like Jonathan Kuminga coming through, it’s likely. But even those players are being groomed by Draymond to be the next faces of Warriors’ basketball.
