Tag: Draymond Green

Draymond Green showers praise on young Warriors despite Celtics loss

Not usually one to celebrate moral victories, not even Draymond Green could deny the young Warriors’ evident progress on Friday night.

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The Hospital Dubs may not be winning, but they are growing, and Draymond Green is helping the process yield results.

Even though the Golden State Warriors didn’t finish the job against the Boston Celtics at home last night, the team’s new defensive lineup and response to losing yet another player in D’Angelo Russell (sprained thumb) impressed the eight-year veteran.

In particular, the team’s young roster stepped up in a big way, nearly stealing the match from Boston. “They’re getting more and more comfortable with more experience and they’re learning how to be more physical,” Green explained (via Let’sGoWarriors).

“When you’re physical as a young guy you rack up a lot of fouls”, he continued. “They’re learning how to do that without fouling which is key for us.”

Concerning the team’s new defensive approach, the Michigan native said, “I do like the lineup. We’re switching a little more which I think keeping the ball out of the paint … was key tonight. Trying to keep the ball out of the paint and we did a better job of that.”

Green was specifically called on by coach Steve Kerr to initiate the offense more after Russell went down with a sprained thumb in the third quarter. The ploy worked surprisingly well, and may be something they turn to more in the future. “We’ll see where it goes when [Russell] is back and if he’s not I’ll have to handle it even more”, he offered.

“I thought it worked pretty well for us tonight. We gave ourselves the chance to win the game and make some plays down the stretch, some things that we can get better and tighten up on but overall I thought it was pretty solid for us.”

With so many key players unavailable, the team will need to get creative in the hopes of stealing some games from unwary opponents like Boston, who seemed to think they’d be facing a team unwilling or unable to put up a fight early in Friday night’s game.

While it would be easy to take games off in light of the team’s current situation, Green and the rest of the Warriors have no such intentions, even in the midst of the worst losing streak the team has faced under Steve Kerr’s tenure.

“It sucks to keep seeing guys go down but we got that bug right now so we have to keep fighting and do all we can to stay healthy,” said Green.

“Sometimes [expletive] just happens.”

Indeed it does — and in bunches, evidently.

LeBron drops 23 and 12 as Lakers take care of Warriors at home

LeBron James had a solid night as the Los Angeles Lakers notched a win without superstar forward Anthony Davis on Wednesday.

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LeBron James had 23 points and 12 assists on Wednesday night to help the Los Angeles Lakers hold off a depleted Golden State Warriors squad on Wednesday night.

LeBron’s performance in the 120-94 victory was one of several that helped the Lakers overcome the absence of starting forward Anthony Davis, who missed Wednesday’s game due to shoulder and rib injuries.

Kyle Kuzma scored 22 points in the spot-start for Davis, going 7-of-12 from the field. Former Warrior JaVale McGee also had his best game of the season: 18 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks.

As for Golden State, former Lakers draft pick D’Angelo Russell led the way with 21 points. And while the Warriors made the Lakers sweat at times, they were out of winning range with plenty of time left for the Lakers to seal the deal.

The Lakers did get another kind a scare late in the game when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went down with an apparent ankle injury. Luckily for them, the Lakers will have a few more days at home, with their next game being at Staples Center on Nov. 15 against the Sacramento Kings.

Eric Paschall says Draymond Green has helped him ‘a lot’ this season

The Warriors’ breakout rookie often talks to Draymond Green on ways to improve his game and learn the ins and outs of the NBA.

Eric Paschall has emerged as one of the top rookies so far this season.

The second-round pick has burst onto the scene for the Golden State Warriors essentially out of need. The Warriors have had a bad case of the injury bug this season with 11 players missing at least one game due to injury. Of course, that includes Stephen Curry, who is out indefinitely after breaking his hand, and Klay Thompson, who is out all year with a torn ACL.

But, as they say, injuries create opportunity and Paschall has fully taken advantage. He entered the NBA Draft touted as a player that can contribute immediately, which is exactly what he has done. He is averaging 15.6 points per game, good for fourth among all rookies. He was the first Warriors rookie since Curry to record 25 points in back-to-back games.

His hard work to this point can be attributed to his strong rookie start but he has also leaned on the Warriors’ veterans for advice, like Draymond Green. Paschall recently stopped by SportsCenter for an interview and praised the former Defensive Player of the Year.

He is just a great dude off of the court and is always having fun, always trying to bring energy on and off of the court. Learning from him has helped me a lot just because he sees the game in so many different ways and he is so smart. I just try to pick his brain however way I can and just keep trying to learn.

Paschall has been among the first-year players to emerge seemingly out of nowhere and it has been a revelation for the Warriors. They have found some key role players in the past and the former Villanova forward is yet another example.

While the Warriors could very well miss the playoffs this season after a 2-9 start, the emergence of Paschall has been encouraging and he does not appear to be slowing down any time soon.

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Draymond Green explains why he was ejected against Jazz on Monday

Draymond Green spoke his mind on Monday night, and he paid for it.

Draymond Green made his return to the Warriors lineup on Monday night when the club hosted the Utah Jazz at Chase Center, but his night ended a tad earlier than that of his teammates.

Green was ejected with about 8:30 remaining in the game’s fourth quarter and with Golden State trailing Utah by 13 points. They would eventually lose, 122-108.

It was Green’s first action since November 1, as a torn ligament in his left index finger has kept him on the shelf for the past five games.

Noticeably rusty, Green would finish the night with just four points on 2-for-7 shooting from the field. He did also have seven rebounds and four assists, though.

The fateful play that led to his ejection occurred after Mike Conley collided with Green. Green naturally wanted a charge, but a block was called. Official Sean Wright gave Green a technical for arguing and when Draymond was persistent in his complaint, Wright gave him a second technical foul, disqualifying him from the contest.

After the contest, Green explained himself and also passively told us that his persistence in arguing the call was a result of Wright telling him “Don’t talk.”

According to ESPN’s Nick Friedell, the following were Green’s comments on the incident:

“I disagreed with that call,” Green explained after the game. “And I’m never going to be OK with another grown man telling me, ‘Don’t talk.’ If you feel like you got the call wrong, or right, you don’t tell me not to talk. I’m a grown man. I got my own kids. So that’s what happened.”

Green also spoke a bit about what it’s like playing without Stephen Curry and what he will have to do to bust up the rust that his five-game absence may have caused to accumulate.

“Just got to get a rhythm again — and my wind,” Green said. “Ten days, opened those lungs up like you do in the game, it’s a little different. Obviously, I wasn’t able to practice or nothing. We had [Sunday] off, and the team was gone for a week, so I haven’t been able to play. I’ve just been working out, and that’s always different; so I just got to get my wind back, but that will come back pretty fast.”

With Monday’s ejection, Green became the first player to be ejected from a contest at Chase Center—a distinction that nobody is surprised he earned.

The Warriors will next travel to Los Angeles to do battle with the Lakers on Wednesday night.

Draymond Green returned to the lineup only to get ejected versus Jazz

Draymond Green’s first night back ended a tad bit prematurely.

Draymond Green started the game for the Golden State Warriors on Monday night, but he wasn’t around to finish it. With about 8:30 remaining in what would eventually become a 122-108 loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday night, Green was ejected.

Considering the fact that it was the first game that Draymond suited up for since November 1, it was quite comical.

It was also quite Draymond.

The fateful play that led to Green being whistled for two technical fouls and disqualified for the contest occurred when Green was whistled for the blocking foul against Utah’s Mike Conley.

Green, who hit the deck pretty hard, was whistled for two technical fouls after arguing the adverse whistle. For what it’s worth, it certainly appears as though he had a point, but it also appears as though he was angling to get tossed. The official that sent him to the showers early gave Green a lot of rope before doing so.

The Warriors’ emotional leader now has earned the dubious distinction of being the first player to be ejected from a game at Chase Center. No surprise there.

With the loss, the Warriors have now lost four games in a row after last week’s feel-good upset over the Portland Trail Blazers. They’ll next travel to Los Angeles where they’ll do battle with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers on Wednesday night.

Green will likely start that contest, as well. Hopefully this time, though, he’ll be around to finish it.

Draymond Green will suit up versus Jazz despite finger ligament injury

Draymond Green is set to return to the lineup for the Warriors on Monday night.

The Warriors will return to Chase Center on Monday night as they look to end their three-game losing streak.

Draymond Green will be available to assist with the effort.

Green—who last played on November 1—has missed each of the club’s last five games with a torn ligament in his left index finger. In his absence, the Warriors have fought valiantly and have gotten some really productive minutes from the trio of Eric Paschall, Alec Burks and D’Angelo Russell—who made a historic return of his own to the lineup on Friday night.

Despite the moral victories, the Warriors enter play on November 11 with a 2-8 record—tied for worst in the league with the Knicks. With Green back in the lineup, however, the Dubs will hope to end their losing streak and get back in the win column.

With respect to Green’s return to active duty, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Logan Murdock, Green intends to play and will not have any type of minutes restriction.

 

That Green expects to be fully unleashed on Monday night should be a comforting fact. The former Defensive Player of the Year’s presence is sorely needed, as through 10 games, Golden State ranks dead last in the NBA in defensive efficiency. The club is yielding 117 points per 100 possessions.

Hopefully, for Steve Kerr and his team, it’ll lead to a similar result to the one they were on the right end of when they scored an upset over the Trail Blazers last week.

The matchup with the Utah Jazz will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. PT.