The Golden State Warriors may have seen their five-year run as the NBA’s Western Conference champion come to an end last season, but that hasn’t done anything to tame Draymond Green’s competitive fire or his aspirations.
On Monday, a svelt Green spoke with reporters as the Warriors prepare to travel to Sacramento for their second preseason game on Tuesday night. After being held out of the team’s first preseason contest — a 107-105 win over the Nuggets — the club declared both Green and rookie James Wiseman out for Tuesday’s game against the Kings, but from a talking standpoint, Green is already in midseason form.
Shortened season or not, pandemic or no pandemic, the big man expects his club to rise to the top of the Western Conference again.
Anything less than a championship, according to him, would mean that the 2020-21 season was unsuccessful.
“When I don’t win a title, that’s unsuccessful,” Green said to reporters.
“There’s no moral victories, there’s no ‘Oh, this is our first year together,’ or, you know, ‘We don’t have as many stars,’ or ‘Klay is…,’ I don’t really roll like that. You step on the floor, same 94 feet, two baskets and one basketball that everybody else got.”
Although the “everybody else” that Green refers to will have more continuity and chemistry than the new-look Warriors, Green is declaring, quite loudly, that he will not allow his team to use that as an excuse for any potential underachieving.
“We’re all NBA players, so go out there, compete, try to win, try to compete at the highest level — as high as a level that you can personally compete to help this team win — that’s what it’s all about for me.”
Draymond Green on how he's going to judge success for the Warriors this season:
"If we don't win a title, it's unsuccessful." pic.twitter.com/ILCLkZOMTr
— KNBR (@KNBR) December 14, 2020
Although Green has been ruled out for Tuesday night’s contest, he and Wiseman returned to practice and, according to head coach Steve Kerr, have already developed a bit of a knack for one another.
Perhaps Green was sending a message to the prized rookie: they play for championships in San Fransisco.
That message was both unequivocal and unmistakable.
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