Draymond Green is crucial to the Golden State Warriors system. He is an elite defensive forward that can also make plays for others. There is no doubt that he is a future Hall-of-Famer.
Despite his importance to the Warriors, Steve Kerr ended up benching Draymond Green late in Game 4 against the Boston Celtics. When speaking on the Point Forward Podcast, Steve Kerr explained why he made that move. He claimed that one has to “stick with it” after finding “a group that works” and added that he couldn’t “worry about anybody’s feelings being hurt”.
“I’ve been here now eight years so I know all these guys so well,” Kerr said. “I didn’t really think much about it when I took Draymond out in Game 4, because that unit was not doing well so I was really looking for a shift. And I was thinking I would just take him out for a minute or two and then get him back.
“In the NBA if you find a group that works, then you stick with it and it doesn’t matter who is on the floor. You can’t worry about anybody’s feelings being hurt or anything like that. So when that group started to play well, I wasn’t paying any attention to the bench, but Andre, you were there and I’ve heard since that you were there talking to Draymond and I’m sure he was staying ready. Sure enough, when the run ended and we went back to him, he was great and made huge plays down the stretch and it all worked out.”
There is no doubt that the move clearly worked out for the Warriors, as they won Game 4 and ultimately the series. Sometimes, coaches have to make tough decisions, to win, and that is precisely what Steve Kerr had to do here.
Draymond Green previously stated that if Steve Kerr believed that sitting him was the right thing at that moment, then he had to “roll with it”. It is clear that he respects what Kerr did, even if he wasn’t happy about it. It is clear that there are no hard feelings, and both Steve Kerr and Draymond Green will be focused on winning the championship again next season.
