Even though Golden State just fell to yet another defeat this weekend, Draymond Green reached an important milestones within the California franchise. Against Phoenix, he posted 13 points, 7 assists, two rebounds, two steals, and one lone block, which took him into second place on the team’s all-time blocks list.
Now that the veteran has surpassed Joe Barry Carroll on this significant list, he has made 837 career blocks, trailing only Adonal Foyle, who leads the club with a 1,140. Once the match was over, the four-time champion revealed he wasn’t aware of this accomplishment.
“Hell no,” Draymond said when he was asked if he knew about his historic feat. “I didn’t know until somebody sent it to me. I saw it after the game.”
When Draymond Green averages over 1 block and 1 steal per game, the Warriors reach the NBA Finals:
• 2022: 1.1 BLK, 1.3 STL
• 2019: 1.1 BLK, 1.4 STL
• 2018: 1.3 BLK, 1.4 STL
• 2017: 2.0 STL, 1.4 BLK
• 2016: 1.4 BLK, 1.5 STL
• 2015: 1.3 BLK, 1.6 STLRN: 1.1 STL, 1.1 BLK pic.twitter.com/x5KvdhDpFJ
— GSW Ball Report (@GSWBallReport) November 16, 2024
However, inside the Warriors’ locker room, it wasn’t all smiles that night. “[We have to] challenge guys to play with force,” Green told the press after their fourth-straight loss. “We know [what] it takes to win basketball games at this level. When you’re in a bit of a rut, it’s never going to be easy to win.”
Rival and former teammate Kevin Durant took the mic after the matchup and praised Draymond for playing at an elite level despite his old age. “When Draymond is at his best, it’s like a good balance between being ultra-aggressive and being on edge and also just being a cerebral monster that he is.
“I think he’s found that balance even better. I feel like he always had it,” KD said postgame, after contributing himself with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks in 36 minutes of play.
“Sometimes you tip the scales a bit, and I think he’s found that balance as he gets older, as he experiences more things in the league, more things in life in general,” KD added. “You can just tell by the start of this season that he’s playing his best ball. He’s shooting the basketball well this year… All his experiences up until this time have just helped him out and made him the player he is today.”
Draymond reassures fans after Warriors have now lost their fourth-straight game of the season to the Suns this weekend
The Golden State club have now dropped their fourth-consecutive contest, falling 113-105 to the Suns. The Warriors stars have faced the press this week trying to reassure everyone around that the campaign is long and that it is common to suffer setbacks throughout a 82-game regular season.
The four-time champion was open about his team’s recent struggles. “That’s why you want to get off to a fast start,” Green shared. “Because you’re going to hit rough patches throughout an 82-game season. And if you build a cushion, it allows you to withstand that. … Nobody’s panicking.”
Steve Kerr decided to shed some light on the team’s struggles, especially in the absence of their main star. “Steph not being there definitely influences things for us,” the tactician explained. “Pairing Trayce Jackson-Davis and Draymond without Steph, without a pick-and-roll player, makes it really tricky offensively. That’s why I made those adjustments.“
Earlier this week, he addressed the fact that Curry will be under minutes restriction. “We usually pencil him in for 32 [minutes], and we like to keep it around that number,” he said on Monday at Chase Center. “We were able to give him a good rest in the first half because the second unit was playing really well.”
