Draymond Green has no interest in chasing stats. Speaking with Jordan Schultz, the Warriors forward said he could average 20 points per game if he wanted to, but it would require playing for a losing team and abandoning the winning mindset that has defined his career.
“Could I average 20 on a lottery team? I have no interest in doing that,” Green said. “That’s like you want me to go play bad basketball? How about this? I once averaged 15 on a great team. I’m not sure if I still have that mindset. That’s a mindset that you have to have. And I left that mindset so long ago that I’m not sure that I could even tap back into that mindset.”
NBA players are notoriously confident and many young athletes make the mistake of seeking personal validation over team success. For some, padding the stat sheet even takes priority over a potential playoff run. Fortunately, for Warriors veteran and four-time champion, Draymond Green, he’s never fallen into the trap. He knows more than most about what it takes to win and it’s a feeling that he wants to experience again.
Over his 13-year career, Green has mostly played a supporting role, acting as more of a sidekick than the main attraction. While he could have tried his luck on a different team, in a bigger role, Green stayed loyal to the Warriors and remained locked in amid difficult times. Finally, with the arrival of Jimmy Butler, Green’s loyalty paid off as the franchise headed back toward title contention.
Between Draymond, Butler, and Stephen Curry, the Warriors managed to win 48 games before a playoff run to the Western Semifinals. The Warriors lost that series, but they are starting this new season with fresh hope of victory. With the big three set to return and the Jonathan Kuminga standoff finally over, the team can begin to develop a plan for success and it starts with the leadership of veterans like Draymond.
Despite a murky past, he’s made it clear that he wants to win and the Warriors are one of the few teams that give him that chance at 35 years old. In Draymond’s eyes, his modest role on the Warriors is a necessary sacrifice to ensure he’s always in a position to compete for championships. While it may not be great for his stats, Green’s resume as a four-time NBA champion speaks for itself.
Even after all this time, the Warriors have not lost that hunger to win and it’s part of what makes them so dangerous for the 2025-26 campaign. For his part, while Green may not be averaging 20 points every night, he does all the little things that every championship team needs. That’s not counting his impact as an enforcer and elite defender.
At this stage of his career, Draymond Green has nothing left to prove. The four-time champion built his legacy on defense, leadership, and sacrifice, not gaudy scoring numbers, and he’s content to keep it that way. What matters to Green now is winning, setting the tone for his teammates, and doing whatever it takes to help the Warriors stay in contention. His scoring might never jump off the page, but his impact still does, and that’s what continues to make him one of the most valuable veterans in the game.
