Draymond Green copping a lot of flak for Warriors' flameout

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23)

Warriors star Draymond Green had one of his better seasons in the 2023-24 campaign, shooting a career-high 40 percent from three and producing his highest scoring output (8.6) since 2017-18. Defensively, he was tremendous, per usual, covering his teammates’ lapses and making up for Golden State’s lack of size.

Yet Green is being widely blamed for Golden State’s season-ending loss to the Kings on Tuesday. Many NBA analysts believe his multiple suspensions earlier in the season, during which he appeared in only 55 games, were a big factor in the Warriors finishing the tenth seed in the West.

“If Green had played even 70 games, the Warriors would have been in a better position,” Windhorst said on “Get Up” on ESPN. “It can also be argued that last year, the situation with Jordan Poole affected the team negatively. So, Draymond’s got a bit of a debt [to the franchise].”

Former NBA player Tim Legler agreed with Windhorst, bringing up that Green cost the Warriors by picking up unnecessary technical fouls at crucial moments of games.

NBA analyst Tim Bontemps also blames Green’s antics for Golden State’s flameout.

“This season is Draymond Green’s fault,” Bontemps said on the “Hoop Collective” podcast. “This team has dealt with his nonsense for a long time. And his excuses over and over again for years.”

It can’t be denied that Green’s absence hurt the Warriors, who went 33-22 with him on the court (52-win pace) and 10-11 in the games he was suspended (11-13 overall).

Some have argued that Green should be traded this offseason. With Thompson likely out of the door, the Warriors could field a completely retooled roster in the 2024-25 season.

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