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Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors
Things are obviously not going quite how they were supposed to go at this point of the season for the Golden State Warriors, even with a two-game winning streak and an eye on the NBA playoffs ahead. There’s been plenty of suggestion out there that the Warriors should simply fold up stakes and let this season dissolve into nothingness, and take the 11th-best odds into the May NBA draft lottery. Don’t tell that to Draymond Green.
In the wake of the Dubs’ 109-106 comeback win over Brooklyn in the fourth quarter on Wednesday, Green was emphatic in saying that it is up to the healthy Warriors–and there are not many of them–to give all they have to finish the final nine games of this season strong.
The Warriors are playing without Stephen Curry, who has been out since the end of January with a knee injury. They’re also without star forward Jimmy Butler, who tore his ACL on January 19. Moses Moody blew out his knee on Monday against Dallas, and Al Horford (calf) remains out, too.
Warriors Have Won 2 Straight
But folding–or throwing in the towel, as it was asked to Green–is not on the docket for the Warriors. The hope that Curry might get back to action in time to start a late-season and playoff run has dimmed considerably, but the players who are active and healthy have worked too hard to simply give up, Green said.
On Wednesday, Gui Santos scored a career-high 31 points. Brandin Podziemski, who has struggled through some ups and downs this season, had 22 points, six assists and five rebounds.
Draymond Green: Warriors Owe it to Themselves to Keep Pushing
After the game, Green went on a bit of a rant about the Warriors not giving up.
He said: “One thing we did through our dominant run was took advantage of front runners. And I can’t give that to these guys. Could I throw in the towel? Possibly. But what does that look like for Gui Santos? What does that look like for Brandin Podziemski? You’re talking about guys that are trying to build themselves a career. De’Anthony Melton (torn ACL) came back here after a year off trying to build back to where he was. You can’t just throw in the towel on them.
“That’s just not who I’ve ever been and it’s not who I am going to become. I’d rather go out there and get my head beat in, every night and walk off the court, go home to my kids, family, wife.”
Draymond Green: Warriors Would Lose ‘Respect’ by Quitting
Green explained that, in the NBA–which has a relatively small population of about 430 players–those who do fold in for a season tend to lose the respect of others around the league. That sticks with a player, and Green does not want that for himself, or for any of his Warriors teammates.
The Warriors have a clinched a spot in the play-in tournament. Green intends to help his team to the playoffs.
“I can go home knowing, all right we won or lost, regardless,” Green said. “But no matter the circumstances, I am going to go out there and give what I can give and with that, I can sleep at night. If I just quit—I hate seeing guys who throw in the towel in this league. Because then they come back. Next year starts, they come back. The respect that you lost throwing in the towel don’t just pop back up. You lost that respect. That is gone.”
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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