Even Draymond Green had to laugh at the audacity of this public acknowledgment.
“I used to go after a little bit,” he said.
He wasn’t talking about defense. Nor was this a reference to giving his teammates the business. Nor about his growing list of off-the-court ventures.
He was talking about drinking. And not the postgame smoothie he was sipping on after the Warriors’ 119-104 win over Toronto. But alcohol. It is widely understood how liquor can be an enemy of athleticism. But Green’s confession was possible because drinking was an issue in the past. He has cut down his consumption significantly in an effort to improve his physical condition.
And anyone who’s had a taste for the “courage juice” knows the conviction it takes to give it up. Especially the youthful millionaires who can pop the finest bottles whenever they want. But Green, a growing wine connoisseur who was no stranger to nightlife in his prime, has made the sacrifice in exchange for his health.
“I feel incredible and I take better care of my body today than I ever have,” he said. “I don’t drink, really, anymore, like I used to. … I’m 31 years old now so I try to do all the necessary things to make sure my body is in shape and ready to go.”
Indeed, Draymond Green is motivated.
Such has always been the secret ingredient in the Warriors’ championship recipe. Green, when locked in, has always propelled them to new heights. He is their unreplicable and unduplicatable force. Stephen Curry of the defense. And since the Warriors have Stephen Curry on offense, the result is a dynamic team that can dominate both ends of the floor.
While Curry’s greatness is like clockwork, Green’s has been a wild card. When the stakes are highest is usually when he digs the deepest, when his production is most reliable. His trend during the dynastic years was to wait until around March to turn up. That’s when he gets into shape and digs into his well of energy and aggressiveness, combining it with the IQ and experience that allows him to manage his way through. But when it’s time to go, his play usually reminds everyone why he’s worth the wait.
Yet, it’s still just November. Not even 20 games into the season. And that Draymond Green is here, the one the Warriors normally don’t see until the spring. The one who can dominate a whole playoff series. The one who plays with an edge and an intellect that takes him into another stratosphere.
The revelation is not that Green can be this good, but that he’s been this good from the beginning. That’s where the motivation comes in.
The Warriors are 15-2 after suffocating the Raptors at Chase Center. They find themselves on the pedestal of the NBA, off to a start they couldn’t have scripted better on Joe Lacob’s typewriter. And central to this circumstance is Green.
“I think Draymond Green,” Steve Kerr said, “is the best defender in the world.”
“I agree,” Green said when told of Kerr’s declaration. Back to Kerr.
“I think he’s had just an unbelievable start to the season. He’s so motivated, he’s so engaged every single night.”
The many motivations of Draymond Green? The beauty of the Warriors’ star is we can know what they are. Because the same rhetorical gangsta who will give you a piece of his mind will also give you a piece of his mind. The same intellect he uses on the court to read schemes and manipulate players, the same analysis and accountability that makes him a demanding leader, sometimes gets pointed inwardly. And just like he isn’t afraid to bang with bigger players in the paint in the fourth quarter, he isn’t afraid to honestly critique himself.
So on this random Sunday, after another ho-hum victory by the Warriors, Green took a moment to explain why he’s playing lights out, thus speeding up the Warriors’ timeline for expected success.
Draymond wants to reclaim his status.
“I want to be a Defensive Player of the Year again,” he said. “I want to be an All-Star again.”
The Warriors are tops in defensive rating — at 100 points per 100 possessions — after leaning heavily on offense when retooling the roster. They hold opponents to the lowest field goal percentage (42.0) and the fewest points in the paint per game (39.9). They are second in rebounds (47.6) and steals (9.8).
“The way he talks on defense,” Otto Porter said of Green, “the way he knows the plays that the other team is going to run — so it helps us out with him in the back, we can press up. … With Draymond in the back, it allows us to get into the ball a lot more, avoid screens, switch screens. He’s basically the anchor of our defense. With his energy, we feed off it.”
Don’t think for a second Green doesn’t know that Rudy Gobert has three Defensive Player of the Year awards. And that he himself got zero first-place votes last year after carrying the Warriors’ defense to top five in the league. He believes he’s the greatest defender ever. But he also knows such sounds crazy with only one DPOY to his name.
What’s more, Green knows respect comes with accolades. If he earns these after the dynasty was supposed to be dead and done, there can be no denying his greatness. If he gets another title, another DPOY, another All-Star, his resume would be unreal: four rings, two gold medals, two DPOY Awards, four All-Star appearances, seven-time All-NBA defense selection and twice an All-NBA selection. Which leads to another motivation.
Draymond wants to shut you up.
Yes, you. Who said he was done. Who said he would be broken down by now. Who said he killed the dynasty with his shortage of temperance. Who said he was being propped up by the greats around him. Who said he was useless because his offense deteriorated and he couldn’t average double digits and passed on wide-open 3s.
“A lot of people had counted me out,” Green said. “Same mistake people made before when I first came into the league. … A lot of people doubted me and doubted me again. And that’s fuel to the fire.”
He all but promised on the debut episode of his new podcast that if the Warriors win another title, he’s going to have a lot to say to his detractors. He’s heard all the talk about his deteriorated offense, all the trade wishes that shipped him out. He’s been on a mission for the ultimate retort.
Draymond wants to shut up his kids.
The oldest of the three children in his family of five is his 7-year-old daughter. His son Draymond Jr. was born a couple months into Kevin Durant’s first season with the Warriors. They weren’t there for, or cognizant of, his biggest moments and his greatest feats. Now, though, they’re much more aware of what’s going on.
“They kind of get on my ass if we lose,” Green said with a smile. “And I think for me, also, I’ve been shitty the last couple years. And so my kids don’t really understand how good I am. And I want them to see how good I am so they’ll have an understanding.”
Draymond wants to prove this is sustainable.
Part of the reason for the spring ramp-up is the toll his style of play takes. He’s 6-foot-6, 230 pounds and playing center on defense. And playing point-forward on offense. And being a mentor to young players. And providing enough emotional fervor to stoke the entire team. The motor in Green requires a lot of fuel; it guzzles.
Fighting for every rebound. Defending all over the floor. Directing traffic on defense and being a step ahead. Green summons a consuming fire to pull it all off. To be strong enough. To be focused enough. To be hungry enough. It’s a heavy burden.
Since he’s starting so early, how does he not burn out by the spring?
This is how bad he wants it. He’s essentially changed his life for it. He’s lifting weights more than he ever has. He’s eating healthy. He played in Tokyo for the Olympics and avoided a long layoff from intensity.
This is the 31-year-old Green who understands the value of his body in the goal he’s pursuing, instead of waiting for the right time to shed a bunch of weight. Freak injuries aside, he believes his body is prepared for a season of this version of Draymond.
“When we play on the road and we get off the plane,” Green said, “I can run down the stairs. And before I used to creep down the stairs. Knees hurting. Feet hurting. I feel incredible. And so it’s not a worry for me at all, whereas before it was. You kind of take all those hits and you’re not doing everything else around that to make sure your body is ready for those hits and you start to break down. For me, it’s just continuing to take care of my body the way I’m taking care of my body and I think I’ll continue to feel great.”
Draymond wants to win. And what still seems to be true is the more he does, the more the Warriors do.
Even Draymond Green had to laugh at the audacity of this public acknowledgment.
“I used to go after a little bit,” he said.
He wasn’t talking about defense. Nor was this a reference to giving his teammates the business. Nor about his growing list of off-the-court ventures.
He was talking about drinking. And not the postgame smoothie he was sipping on after the Warriors’ 119-104 win over Toronto. But alcohol. It is widely understood how liquor can be an enemy of athleticism. But Green’s confession was possible because drinking was an issue in the past. He has cut down his consumption significantly in an effort to improve his physical condition.
And anyone who’s had a taste for the “courage juice” knows the conviction it takes to give it up. Especially the youthful millionaires who can pop the finest bottles whenever they want. But Green, a growing wine connoisseur who was no stranger to nightlife in his prime, has made the sacrifice in exchange for his health.
“I feel incredible and I take better care of my body today than I ever have,” he said. “I don’t drink, really, anymore, like I used to. … I’m 31 years old now so I try to do all the necessary things to make sure my body is in shape and ready to go.”
Indeed, Draymond Green is motivated.
Such has always been the secret ingredient in the Warriors’ championship recipe. Green, when locked in, has always propelled them to new heights. He is their unreplicable and unduplicatable force. Stephen Curry of the defense. And since the Warriors have Stephen Curry on offense, the result is a dynamic team that can dominate both ends of the floor.
While Curry’s greatness is like clockwork, Green’s has been a wild card. When the stakes are highest is usually when he digs the deepest, when his production is most reliable. His trend during the dynastic years was to wait until around March to turn up. That’s when he gets into shape and digs into his well of energy and aggressiveness, combining it with the IQ and experience that allows him to manage his way through. But when it’s time to go, his play usually reminds everyone why he’s worth the wait.
Yet, it’s still just November. Not even 20 games into the season. And that Draymond Green is here, the one the Warriors normally don’t see until the spring. The one who can dominate a whole playoff series. The one who plays with an edge and an intellect that takes him into another stratosphere.
The revelation is not that Green can be this good, but that he’s been this good from the beginning. That’s where the motivation comes in.
The Warriors are 15-2 after suffocating the Raptors at Chase Center. They find themselves on the pedestal of the NBA, off to a start they couldn’t have scripted better on Joe Lacob’s typewriter. And central to this circumstance is Green.
“I think Draymond Green,” Steve Kerr said, “is the best defender in the world.”
“I agree,” Green said when told of Kerr’s declaration. Back to Kerr.
“I think he’s had just an unbelievable start to the season. He’s so motivated, he’s so engaged every single night.”
The many motivations of Draymond Green? The beauty of the Warriors’ star is we can know what they are. Because the same rhetorical gangsta who will give you a piece of his mind will also give you a piece of his mind. The same intellect he uses on the court to read schemes and manipulate players, the same analysis and accountability that makes him a demanding leader, sometimes gets pointed inwardly. And just like he isn’t afraid to bang with bigger players in the paint in the fourth quarter, he isn’t afraid to honestly critique himself.
So on this random Sunday, after another ho-hum victory by the Warriors, Green took a moment to explain why he’s playing lights out, thus speeding up the Warriors’ timeline for expected success.
Draymond wants to reclaim his status.
“I want to be a Defensive Player of the Year again,” he said. “I want to be an All-Star again.”
The Warriors are tops in defensive rating — at 100 points per 100 possessions — after leaning heavily on offense when retooling the roster. They hold opponents to the lowest field goal percentage (42.0) and the fewest points in the paint per game (39.9). They are second in rebounds (47.6) and steals (9.8).
“The way he talks on defense,” Otto Porter said of Green, “the way he knows the plays that the other team is going to run — so it helps us out with him in the back, we can press up. … With Draymond in the back, it allows us to get into the ball a lot more, avoid screens, switch screens. He’s basically the anchor of our defense. With his energy, we feed off it.”
Don’t think for a second Green doesn’t know that Rudy Gobert has three Defensive Player of the Year awards. And that he himself got zero first-place votes last year after carrying the Warriors’ defense to top five in the league. He believes he’s the greatest defender ever. But he also knows such sounds crazy with only one DPOY to his name.
What’s more, Green knows respect comes with accolades. If he earns these after the dynasty was supposed to be dead and done, there can be no denying his greatness. If he gets another title, another DPOY, another All-Star, his resume would be unreal: four rings, two gold medals, two DPOY Awards, four All-Star appearances, seven-time All-NBA defense selection and twice an All-NBA selection. Which leads to another motivation.
Draymond wants to shut you up.
Yes, you. Who said he was done. Who said he would be broken down by now. Who said he killed the dynasty with his shortage of temperance. Who said he was being propped up by the greats around him. Who said he was useless because his offense deteriorated and he couldn’t average double digits and passed on wide-open 3s.
“A lot of people had counted me out,” Green said. “Same mistake people made before when I first came into the league. … A lot of people doubted me and doubted me again. And that’s fuel to the fire.”
He all but promised on the debut episode of his new podcast that if the Warriors win another title, he’s going to have a lot to say to his detractors. He’s heard all the talk about his deteriorated offense, all the trade wishes that shipped him out. He’s been on a mission for the ultimate retort.
Draymond wants to shut up his kids.
The oldest of the three children in his family of five is his 7-year-old daughter. His son Draymond Jr. was born a couple months into Kevin Durant’s first season with the Warriors. They weren’t there for, or cognizant of, his biggest moments and his greatest feats. Now, though, they’re much more aware of what’s going on.
“They kind of get on my ass if we lose,” Green said with a smile. “And I think for me, also, I’ve been shitty the last couple years. And so my kids don’t really understand how good I am. And I want them to see how good I am so they’ll have an understanding.”
Draymond wants to prove this is sustainable.
Part of the reason for the spring ramp-up is the toll his style of play takes. He’s 6-foot-6, 230 pounds and playing center on defense. And playing point-forward on offense. And being a mentor to young players. And providing enough emotional fervor to stoke the entire team. The motor in Green requires a lot of fuel; it guzzles.
Fighting for every rebound. Defending all over the floor. Directing traffic on defense and being a step ahead. Green summons a consuming fire to pull it all off. To be strong enough. To be focused enough. To be hungry enough. It’s a heavy burden.
Since he’s starting so early, how does he not burn out by the spring?
This is how bad he wants it. He’s essentially changed his life for it. He’s lifting weights more than he ever has. He’s eating healthy. He played in Tokyo for the Olympics and avoided a long layoff from intensity.
This is the 31-year-old Green who understands the value of his body in the goal he’s pursuing, instead of waiting for the right time to shed a bunch of weight. Freak injuries aside, he believes his body is prepared for a season of this version of Draymond.
“When we play on the road and we get off the plane,” Green said, “I can run down the stairs. And before I used to creep down the stairs. Knees hurting. Feet hurting. I feel incredible. And so it’s not a worry for me at all, whereas before it was. You kind of take all those hits and you’re not doing everything else around that to make sure your body is ready for those hits and you start to break down. For me, it’s just continuing to take care of my body the way I’m taking care of my body and I think I’ll continue to feel great.”
Draymond wants to win. And what still seems to be true is the more he does, the more the Warriors do.
