In sports Ann Killion: Draymond Green is the Warriors’ do-it-all X-factor — as long as he stays on the court.
What is the X-factor for the Warriors, as they begin what should be a long playoff run? At the top of the list is Draymond Green. On a team of superstars, Green may be the Warriors’ most indispensable player. The supreme defender, the energy boost, the tripledouble jack-of-all-trades dishing out assists, blocking shots and rallying the Warriors whenever they flag.
Which is why the Warriors need to make sure
Green stays on the court — something that infamously didn’t happen last year.
“Like every team, we get a notice from the league reminding us of the flagrant and technical rules,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said Saturday. “Bob (general manager Bob Myers) came in and read all that to us yesterday.”
And you can be sure Green was listening.
Green was all too frequently whistled for technical fouls this season but didn’t reach the threshold of 15, which triggers a one-game suspension.
Now his slate is wiped clean with the start of the playoffs. A points system is in place and carries over from series to series: one point for a flagrant-1 foul and two points for a flagrant-2. Four points carries an automatic one-game suspension, which is what happened to Green in June before Game 5 of the Finals against Cleveland. The league office suspended Green, after lobbying from LeBron James and the Cavs. The decision changed the direction of the series.
“Draymond has grown so much from last year, in so many ways,” Kerr said. “I see the maturity in his leadership, in the way he behaves on the court. I don’t think it’s any coincidence that he got 14 technicals this year, and not 15. Because 15 is the limit. He knows he can’t put himself in the same position he did last year.”
Green beat himself up last year, taking too much responsibility for the team’s failure to repeat as champion. When he was suspended for Game 5, his absence was a huge reason the Warriors fell flat in what was the beginning of their historic three-game slide.
“I learned from it,” Green said in the immediate aftermath
of the Warriors’ loss in Game 7. “If I don’t put myself in that position, and I don’t get suspended for Game 5, are we sitting here champions? Maybe, maybe not. … As you know, I blame myself for everything.”
He also almost single-handedly won Game 7, with a teamhigh 32 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists. But history won’t remember that.
Green is not only a magnet for technical fouls (in the playoffs, seven technical fouls will also result in a one-game suspension) and referee whistles, he’s also a magnet for blame and controversy. The Warriors are a likable team and, even though Kerr sometimes wears a “Super Villains” T-shirt, individuals like Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant are immensely popular.
But Green fulfills the villain role. There is probably no another player who is viewed so differently by his own team and fans and then from the outside. He is booed in visiting arenas. People call him names.
Now he’ll be in the national spotlight again. And the added intensity and attention, combined with the playoff reality that the Warriors will face increased physical play, could amp up Green’s naturally volatile temperament.
The Warriors have learned that getting the right mixture from Green is a balancing act, and that his volatility makes them better — but can occasionally backfire.
“We need that edge,” Kerr said. “It’s a fine line. We need his fury and we need his passion.”
Green adapted quickly to the new-look Warriors after Durant’s arrival. He continues to get better as a player every season and should win the Defensive Player of the Year this year.
He also continues to grow off the court. His son, Draymond Jr., was born this season, and the proud father recently brought the 3-month-old to the postgame podium. He seeks the counsel of older veterans; David West has talked to him about using his emotion to his advantage. “We’ve talked about channeling that, about knowing when to use it,” Green said this week. “And how not to let it work against me.”
Green has done plenty of soul-searching in the past year. Plenty of growing.
“I really believe in Draymond as a person, first of all, in his growth and what he’s been able to do over the past year,” Kerr said. “And I think that’ll show up.”
Green is certainly eager to change the postseason story line, in search of redemption. The hurt he felt minutes after the 2015-16 season ended was a raw wound.
“This will sting me for a while,” Green said that night.
“And it will probably sting until I get back here and make it right.”