Because the way he impacts games doesn’t tend to show up in the box score, Draymond Green has always been a hard player to quantify. That said, the Warriors veteran has had a disastrous series by every conceivable metric, fouling out twice while averaging 4.3 points per game on anemic 23.1-percent shooting (6-for-26 including 0-of-9 from three-point range).
When the Warriors have played poorly, Draymond has been a popular scapegoat, including Wednesday night’s Game 3, when he contributed as many points (two) as turnovers (two). Fans at TD Garden—Barstool founder Dave Portnoy among them—have delighted in Green’s failures, showing their disdain for the embattled forward on every possession.
Though marginally better in Game 4, Green was still a non-factor offensively, prompting coach Steve Kerr to bench him for a pivotal stretch in the fourth quarter. Even Green’s mother, Mary Babers, couldn’t defend her son’s play, joking that a “clone” had taken his place.
Draymond may not be playing good basketball, but as a content creator, the media-savvy 32-year-old remains undefeated. Appearing on his podcast after the game, Green didn’t deny his frustration at being benched for one of the most important stretches of the game, but also acknowledged it was probably the right call, citing his continued struggles, particularly on the offensive end.
“Did Coach Kerr talk to me about that? Absolutely not, nor did he need to,” said Green, who sat from the 7:32 mark of the fourth quarter until subbing back in for Jordan Poole with 3:41 remaining. “I’ve been struggling, as we all could see. I played a better game tonight, overall, but definitely was struggling from the field, struggling on the offensive end.”
Green would obviously have preferred to be in the game instead of sitting next to Kerr on the bench, but he doesn’t fault his coach for making what he felt was the right decision. “This is the playoffs, man,” said Green. “Whether I’m playing or [Andrew] Wiggins is playing, or [Kevon] Looney—you could throw whoever out there. As long as we win, I really don’t care.”
A fierce competitor known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, Green admitted to being “livid,” but believes his frustration at being benched, along with the support he got from teammates including Juan Toscano-Anderson, Chris Chiozza and Gary Payton II, motivated him down the stretch as the Warriors won to even the series 2-2.
“Was I pissed off and frustrated? Absolutely. Seven minutes to go in an extremely important game—we can’t go down 3-1—and I’m coming out of the game,” said Green. “Juan Toscano-Anderson was in my ear. Chris Chiozza was in my ear. Gary Payton was in my ear. And it was huge, because I was able to respond, due to their positive energy, and come up with a few big plays. Credit to those guys. Everyone has an impact.”
As for being called out by his mom, Green couldn’t argue with her assessment of his play. “I saw my mom tweeted that it’s been a tough series for me. Absolutely, it definitely has. But figure it out how you gotta’ figure it out.”
The Warriors are hoping Green can figure it out Monday night when the series returns to the Bay, where the Western Conference Champs have only lost once this postseason (10-1 record at Chase Center).
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