On and off the court, Draymond Green leads.
‘Reverend Green’ knows just how to lead his flock on floor and off it, no matter what nonbelievers say
The world sees him as Ragin’ Draymond. Team Hothead.
The Warriors see him as Reverend Green. Spiritual Leader.
“He is like Reverend Green,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Tuesday. “We have two spiritual leaders. Steph (Curry) is our Buddhist, our Zen guy, with his calming nature. And Draymond is our evangelist.”
Both versions of Green were on display Monday night in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. The external rage and the internal leadership. Just 67 seconds into the game, Green was rung up for a technical foul after shoving James Harden out of bounds.
Tell the truth, Pastor Curry, were you concerned?
“A little,” said the calm influence to Green’s fire. “But then I saw him talking to (official) Scott Foster, and I saw he was able to turn the page. He was trying to end the conversation.
He had said his piece.”
Green admitted he was “a bit overzealous, a bit amped up. But I’d rather that any day than coming out flat . ... There are times in games you have to reel it back in.”
Green reeled it in, led the ferocious defensive effort, had nine assists, nine rebounds and a game-best plus-19 after playing the en-
tire second half with three fouls.
Green is perhaps the most misunderstood player in basketball. From the outside, he’s despised, a magnet for hatred, deafening boos and constant complaints. The things outsiders say about him are the polar opposite of what the Warriors think about their player-preacher.
The Warriors know that, yes, they have unbelievable talent. Yes, they are laden with All-Stars. Yes, they have great coaching.
But what makes it all work is Green.
“What he does, it’s like glue,” assistant coach Mike Brown said. “A lot of guys on this team are special. But (Green) brings all of the talent and stuff that we have together and keeps it together.”
Green considers his role as team leader as important as what he does on the court.
“The game is bigger than what you see on the floor,” Green said. “It’s all the stuff that happens behind the scenes, when no one’s watching. That’s when the game is won.
“So many times people forget that when you’re competing for what we’re competing for, it’s not just the game. It’s a 24-hour process seven days a week, trying to prepare. I always try to stay locked in, keep the pulse of the team, where guys are mentally, emotionally, and just try to help with that.”
Much has been made in the past week of the text that he sent to Kevin Durant at 4 a.m. after the Warriors’ Game 3 loss to the Pelicans. Green urged Durant to be more aggressive. Since that text, Durant has scored 99 points. Mission accomplished.
That kind of prodding isn’t a new thing for Green. Don’t forget about these Warriors’ first championship run, when they were down 2-1 to the Memphis Grizzlies. Curry had a terrible game, shooting 2of-10 from three-point range. He was beating himself up back in his hotel when Green called him and insisted he come out with some other teammates for BBQ and a few beers down on Beale Street. Curry had fun, relaxed, bonded with his guys, and the rest is history.
“That’s knowing your guys, knowing what buttons to push — and it’s different for everyone — it’s not something that happens overnight,” Green said. “It’s something that happens over time. You figure out what works for different guys.
“That’s just something I’ve learned over the course of my years. Something (Michigan State) Coach (Tom) Izzo used to tell me. You can’t lead a guy if you don’t know him. It’s a process.”
Green’s words echo that of any coach. And his role — as the glue, the button-pusher, the motivator — helps Kerr and his staff.
“Any coach will tell you that internal leadership is one of the most important dynamics of any team,” Kerr said. “Like from a coach, it’s advice. But from a teammate, it’s more than advice. It hits home a lot more than from a coach.”
That’s the intangible value of Green, the one few outsiders see. What the rest of the basketball world sees is a guy that drives them batty, that they want to “punch in the face,” as Charles Barkley said on TNT. But one that everyone wishes was on their own team.
On the court, Green is directing traffic, positioning teammates, wearing down opponents, challenging shots, finding the open shooter.
“It’s great when Draymond is out there,” said Kevon Looney, who is becoming his own defensive force. “He’s our defensive anchor. He talks me through a lot of things — switches, which way to send (the Rockets’ James) Harden, help in the back. He’s a great communicator, he makes adjustments on the fly.”
Brown uses a football analogy for Green’s defense.
“He’s like a linebacker, staying behind the line, telling everyone what to do,” Brown said. “His feel and understanding and aggressiveness covers up mistakes we make on the defensive end. And, offensively, he’s our biggest big out there at times, but he’s handling the ball, so that takes their biggest big away from the basket.
“He’s what makes us go.” Preach, Coach Brown. Ask the Warriors about Reverend Green, and they collectively say, “Hallelujah.”