Warriors' Draymond Green calls out Golden State for lack of will on defense: 'It has to come from within'
The Golden State Warriors fell apart in the second half on Tuesday night en route to a 134-124 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Another poor defensive performance, combined with a third defeat in four games ahead of the All-Star break, was enough for Draymond Green to call his team out during his postgame press conference.
Green spoke at length, not about Xs and Os, but about desire and commitment -- two traits he isn't seeing enough of from his teammates.
"It has to come from within," Green told reporters. "Defense is all about will, a want to defend. Defense isn't fun. You've just got to do it if you want to win, and we haven't.
"It's the will to defend -- stop and guard your man, and sink, and drop the box and rotate. Defense is just one or two steps extra ... that's all will, and we don't have that as a team."
Green also explained how the Warriors' lack of trust in each other has led to one of their biggest issues on the defensive end: fouling. The Warriors commit 22 fouls per Game, which is 29th in the league, and their opponents shoot 26 free throws per Game, which ranks 28th.
"Every guy has to decide to take on that challenge himself," Green said. "That challenge isn't just guarding the ball. The challenge is I'm supposed to be there to help, and that guy has to be able to trust that I'm going to get there. If he doesn't trust that I'm going to get there, then what do you do? You foul. We all know that's been a problem for us."
Just as it was during their title runs in the late 2010s, the Warriors' defense was key to their championship last season. They were second in the league in defensive rating during the regular season, allowing just 106.6 points per 100 possesions. During the last three Games of the Finals, all wins, they cranked things up another notch and completely shut down the Boston Celtics to turn around a 2-1 series deficit. In Games 4-6 of that series, they limited the Celtics to 35.2 percent shooting from the field (99-of-281) and forced 57 turnovers.
This Warriors group simply doesn't have that same ability. Key wing defenders Otto Porter Jr. and Gary Payton II left in free agency, and though the latter returned at the trade deadline he is out indefinitely due to an abdominal issue. Injuries to the likes of Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins, each of whom have missed at least 20 Games, have also played a role. As has Green's preseason attack on Jordan Poole, which has forced the veteran forward has had to tone down his usual leadership style.
Following their loss to the Clippers, the Warriors are now 29-29 on the season, which has them in ninth place in the crowded Western Conference. The good news is they're only two Games out of fifth; the bad news is they're only one Game ahead of 12th. With Curry out until some time after the All-Star break due to a leg injury, the Warriors are going to have their work cut out for them just to remain in the play-in tournament picture.
Comments
Post a Comment