The Warriors are currently struggling at 32-32 after tonight’s 116-119 loss to the Jazz and have lost four of their last five games. They seem to be on the fleeting end of what was once a dynasty in San Francisco.
Arguably, only four teams have pulled off dynastic runs in the NBA’s history: the Celtics, the Lakers, the Bulls, and the Warriors. Draymond Green recently appeared on Fred Van Vleet’s podcast ‘Unguarded’ and spoke about his role in building the Warriors’ dynasty (four championships between 2015-22).
“I think I’m like the Eddie Q of Apple, not Steve Jobs, but the appreciation that Steve Jobs had for Eddie Q, right? Still an intricate piece. You know what I’m saying? Steve Jobs knew how valuable Eddie Q was to Apple. And we all know Steve Jobs was the man.”
“Steph Curry is the man for sure. There’s not a person in this world who feels more strongly about that than I do. Like Steph Curry is the man. But Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen, had Dennis Rodman.”
“Like I would never be Steve Jobs. I would never be Mark Zuckerberg. That’s Steph Curry. But I don’t, and I can say this with pride and not from a malicious space at all, but that com that thing doesn’t get built without me.”
“And yet I have so much appreciation for my role in it and how I’ve gone about it, and how his skill set and Klay’s skill set and KD during his time, how their skill set fits with my skill set.”
“But I’ve been a winner my whole life. So winning isn’t new to me. Like I’ve won at every level I’ve played at my entire life. So I expected to win.”
“I did what I brought to the table to add to the winning. I’ll forever be grateful for it. I’ll forever appreciate the run that has been. But make no mistake about it. Like I did a lot to make it happen, on all sides of it,” concluded Green.
Green seemingly wanted to compare himself to the essential role players in the Bulls’ dynastic run. And while I may not agree with him being like the Scottie Pippen to Stephen Curry’s Michael Jordan, I certainly think he played a lot more like Dennis Rodman. Some even say he was better than Rodman ever was.
This served as a reminder to the Warriors’ fans, whom he later directly addressed, about his importance to their relevance in the modern era. The Warriors’ veteran feared he was on the trading block before the trade deadline lapsed.
Green has averaged 8.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 5.6 assists while shooting 44.7% from the field over the 14 seasons he spent on the Warriors so far. In the four championship-winning seasons, he averaged 11.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 6.6 assists while shooting 41.4% from the field.
Therefore, proving that in the prime of his career, he stepped up to average nearly a double-double whenever the Warriors needed him the most (in the NBA Finals). Anyone who has watched the Warriors play knows that not all of Green’s contributions show up on the box score.
Green was essentially the floor general on the defensive end of the floor and often helped with playmaking duties. He also won the defensive player of the year during the 2016-17 season when they went on to win the championship.
Hence, it is reasonable to conclude that yes, Green was indeed an essential part of the Warriors’ dynastic run. But whether or not the Warriors’ dynasty would happen in his absence is still up for debate.
