The past 24 hours have been quite eventful for Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green. Thankfully, it has ended on a high note following as the Warriors beat the surging San Antonio Spurs 125-120. Green’s efforts in particular were impressive minor; so much so that it is being touted as the key to the Warriors’ victory.
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A 7-6 start isn’t the way the Warriors wanted to begin the 2025-26 season. Everyone in that locker room believed they had the talent and experience to compete for a championship. And yet somehow, even the struggling Phoenix Suns have a better record than the Warriors.
The energy around the team reached a new low after suffering a thrashing at the hands of the defending NBA champion, the Oklahoma City Thunder just a couple of days ago. Green didn’t like what he saw from his guys at all. As a result, it sparked the start of a wild 24 hours.
“What a 24 hours from Draymond Green,” Anthony Slater said on the Warriors Stock Report. “He’s lighting matches in OKC. He’s very much part of the leadership committee, trying to patch things together that he ripped apart.”
Green has been a member of four championship-winning teams. He understands the importance of a great start and realizes that the last thing the Warriors need to do is play catch-up in a loaded Western Conference. Once they arrived in San Antonio for a second night of a back-to-back, Green put his leadership skills on display.
“There were team meetings at the hotel,” Slater revealed. Among those meetings was a player-only meeting led by Green. The details of what took place have remained a secret. However, it seemed to have been effective considering how they performed against the Spurs.
San Antonio has been one of the best teams in the NBA, thanks to the ascension of Victor Wembanyama. Although Wemby put forth another great performance consisting of 31 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, Slater believes Green’s defense was superb.
“I don’t watch every Wemby game, but that’s as good as I’ve seen Wemby defended,” Slater proclaimed. “I think Wemby had eight turnovers.”
The 7-foot-3 big man did turn the ball over eight times, and that was in large part to Green’s pressure. It only makes sense that he finished with a team-high plus/minus of +15.
Now, moments like these can define a season. This may not lead to the Warriors flipping a figurative switch en route to winning a championship but it can certainly light a fire, which could turn their season around.
As long as Stephen Curry is on the court with Green and Jimmy Butler, the Warriors are believed to be in with a chance. Green is quite aware of the stakes and in Curry’s absence, will continue to do what he can to put the Warriors in the best position.
