Draymond Green praised for willingness to sacrifice minutes for youngsters to gain experience

Lately, you can see Draymond Green leading the way for the Warriors. The veteran dribbles around the court as he makes charge of Golden State’s benched players, directing his teammate Anthony Lamb in the wing, while he passes the ball to Jonathan Kuminga down below. 

The strategy that head coach Steve Kerr has applied with Green since November is working well, as the player is dedicated to boosting the Warrior’s less experienced roster, especially those players who’ve been fundamental when the squad’s star are injured.

Green, who continues to dedicate significant play time with the reserves, is praised regularly by other trainer’s in the league for his willingness to sacrifice minutes as a starter to help the team’s balance in general, a quality that other NBA stars don’t usually apply.

The Houston Rockets coach Stephen Silas calls Green “one of the most cerebral players in our league who has a voice that those guys will listen to.” He said, “it’s the modeling part for those guys that’s very helpful for them in their game.”

Draymond Green's uniqueness has a big impact on the Warriors, he’s a very good system player who landed in the perfect team for his game. 💯 pic.twitter.com/PbNc04GTd3

— Warriors Nation (@WarriorNationCP) January 18, 2023

With the Nets, for example, as Kevin Durant is out of action due to injury, you can see Kyrie Irving spending time with Brooklyn’s bench as trainer Jacque Vaughn has found the need to be more creative with his starting line-ups.

Irving believes you gotta take each game at a time. “Some nights we’re going to put points on the board very easily, guys are feeling good,” he said about getting used to playing without Durant, just as “some nights we’re going to have to really rely on our poise, really rely on our defensive pressure, and let that lead us to wins.”

Today’s Atlanta coach, Nate McMillan, also remember spending time with the benched players back when he used to be a pro. “I was the guy that would come in and really be that coach out on the floor,” McMillan recalls always enjoying playing so others would shine. “I was that guy who was initiating and making sure that we set up. Very similar to Draymond, I wasn’t providing a lot of scoring but the defense was going to be there, moving the ball, getting the ball to those shooters, all of that.”

Those versatile players really are of great importance to any team who wishes to contend for the title. The thing is, it’s significant so much for the bench, as well as the starters. It simply makes the whole roster stronger, and in the Warriors’ case, the youth are gaining all of this experience and getting ready for when they will really be needed in playoff season.

Even now, former coach and player Rick Carlisle remember fondly the times he spent on court with star Bill Walton. “When I was a young player we traded for Bill Walton when I was in Boston and I was a hell of a lot better player when I was on the floor with Bill Walton,” Carlisle recalls. “I wasn’t very good but now when you’ve got a chance to be on the floor with a Hall-of-Fame-type player like that who has a major impact on defense and offense, it’s going to change you.”

Green knows the game and confronts the fact that he won’t always be a Warrior

Veterans like Draymond gets the feeling Carlisle shares, as he wants to help build a stronger future at Golden State by guiding his teammates with all of his championship-winning experience. “So I just view it from a different standpoint of life. I honestly view those minutes even more important than my starter minutes because those guys aren’t just set in what their careers are going to be,” he said.

Not too long ago, Draymond said he believed his time as a Warriors player would soon be at an end, as he grows older, slower, but wiser. Might this just be his way of proving to the team he is helpful to the roster even though his age won’t let him always be a starter?

Do you want to see Draymond Green retire as a Warrior? 👇 pic.twitter.com/SMQ0rFSVj7

— Warriors Nation (@WarriorNationCP) January 20, 2023

Some of our favorite sport betting sites consider Golden State to posses the 5th best odds to win the Championship, even though they currently aren’t even in the Western Conference’s top 8. Will the Warriors be able to qualify for playoffs and head all the way to the Finals?