No shortage of motivation for refreshed Green
Veteran eager to get back to work after ‘grind’ of ’17-18 season, defensive snub
OAKLAND >> After staying sidelined for the past week with a sore left knee, Warriors forward Draymond Green did not feel good enough to return for Monday’s preseason game against the Phoenix Suns at Oracle Arena. After spending his summer traveling and staying away from basketball, though, the AllStar reported feeling rejuvenated and motivated for the 2018-19 season.
So much that Green expressed optimism that he will return when the Warriors play an exhibition game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday in Las Vegas. So much that Green plans to return with a new sense of being.
“It helped me more so mentally just to get away from the game for a minute and miss it,” Green said following morning shootaround on Monday. “It gears
you up, feeds that hunger and want to get back and get better in the thick of things. I think that’s important for everyone.”
It also remains important for Green to reclaim the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award for the second time of his career after being relegated last season to the NBA’s All-Defensive second team.
“That’s crazy,” Green said. “I have to get that.”
Did Green believe a panel of NBA media members snubbed him? Or did Green receive a deserving demotion?
“Probably a little bit on me,” Green said. “But I don’t think any voter can tell me five defensive players that are better than me. I’ll wait.”
No one named any other players. They just asked another question. So, perhaps Green made his point. Even on a team with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, the War-
riors largely value Green for his defensive versatility, awareness and intensity.
“It’s a good award for him to go after. That’s what he brings to us, that edge and that fire,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “If that’s what motivates him, it’s only going to make our team better. I would be a little nervous if someone on our team said ‘I want to get the scoring record.’ That would be nerve wracking. But if the guy wants to get the defensive player of the year, it’s only going to be help.”
Yet, Green admittedly became inconsistent in fulfilling that role in the 201718 campaign.
“Just the whole year was a grind,” Green said. “Stuff wasn’t as fresh as it was the year before.”
One, Green missed a combined 12 regular-season games because of right shoulder soreness (seven), flu-like symptoms (two), a sprained left index finger (one), a pelvic contusion (one) and rest (one). He described dealing with those overlapping ailments as “very frustrating.” Two, Green observed the Warriors lacked motivation during the 2017-18 season partly because they had 11 of their 14 players return from the previous year.
Granted, the Warriors still won the 2018 NBA championship and finished with the Western Conference’s second-best record (58-24) partly because of that star-studded roster and continuity. But it also made the Warriors go on auto-pilot.
“It was really nothing to work toward,” Green said. “We knew the whole year we were just trying to get to April and then May and June. But there was nothing to spark that fire. So it made everything a drag.”
This season, Green senses a different identity.
One, Green said he feels significantly healthier and refreshed after abstaining from basketball for six to seven weeks. He also had a busy itinerary with trips to his hometown (Saginaw, Michigan), Detroit, Greece (Santorini, Mykonos), Israel (Tel Aviv), France (Paris, Bordeaux) and Mexico (Cabo San Lucas).
“My shoulder’s way better
and a lot better,” Green said. “Everything else is good and under control. Obviously that (knee) popped up, but I don’t see it being a problem long term.”
Secondly, Green believes the Warriors improved their depth beyond adding a fifth All-Star in DeMarcus Cousins. Though the Warriors have lost veteran voices in David West (retirement), Zaza Pachulia (Detroit Pistons) and JaVale McGee (Los Angeles Lakers), they could benefit from having younger players. The Warriors drafted wing Jacob Evans, and have paved larger roles for second-year forward Jordan Bell, third-year center Damian Jones, fourth-year forward Kevon Looney and fourth-year guard Quinn Cook. All of which gives the Warriors’ core players a homework assignment to tackle.
“We got more to work on than what we did last year,” Green said. “That’s
why it was all around tough. There was just nothing there to push you and night out.”
• The Warriors also rested Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston on Monday night against Phoenix in a 117109 preseason loss.
The Warriors started Curry and Durant along with Jones, Looney and training camp invitee Danuel House Jr.
Curry led the Warriors with 23 points in 24 minutes, shooting 8 of 14 from the field.
Kerr was ejected in the third quarter for arguing a foul called on Curry. Replays showed Kerr telling the referees, “I don’t want to be here anyway.”
• Kerr said the team will make roster cuts on Saturday.
After signing free agent Will Cherry, the Warriors have 20 players on their training camp roster and can hold a maximum of 15 players to open the season.
With guard/forward Patrick McCaw still yet to accept an offer from the Warriors, they have 13 players signed under contract. They could sign up to two more players, but it appears likely they would keep the final roster spot open for financial flexibility.