Draymond Green was unable to participate in the Golden State Warriors‘ first game of the 2023-24 NBA season due to an ankle injury. Still, he was present on the bench to cheer his team on, where they suffered a 108-104 loss to the Phoenix Suns.
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During the game, Green answered a few of the TNT crew’s questions about the Warriors and the upcoming season. Among the many things he was asked about, the Warriors man was asked to comment on his team’s lack of size, and how it may hinder them this campaign. Unbothered by it, the four-time NBA champion delivered an admittedly fiery response.
Draymond Green reminds everyone of the Warriors’ title win in 2022 despite a smaller team
The Golden State Warriors have needed size in their lineup for some time now. To combat the issue, the Dubs brought in 6’10” Dario Saric, a smart big man now receiving key minutes in their rotation. To add to that, they also have Trayce-Jackson Davis, a 6’9″ 23-year-old with serious potential. And of course, there is their starting center, 6’9″ Kevon Looney.
Keeping these players on their roster in mind, the following is what Green told TNT when asked if he was worried about his ‘small team’.
“I don’t necessarily overly worry about that. With that very small team, we won a championship a couple years ago. And then there is other things that the bigger teams have to handle when they’re playing against us with our speed. I don’t necessarily worry about that. And the reality is, you got a few bigs in the league that are absolutely incredible, and everybody else you kinda just deal with”
Admittedly, despite their apparent depth, that is a rather bold statement. While it is true that the Warriors won a championship in 2022, they were also dominated by Anthony Davis last season due to their lack of size.
They may have added Saric and Davis this season, but will they be enough to prevent such a scenario? Or will Golden State once again fall victim to just not being big enough to compete again?
The Warriors can’t be judged just yet
The game between the Golden State Warriors and the Phoenix Suns was a close one throughout. Despite Stephen Curry being off his game (27 points on 8 of 20 from the field and 4 of 14 from deep), the Dubs did relatively well this game. And, of course, Draymond Green’s absence needs to be accounted for as well.
That said, the Suns were missing Bradley Beal and hence, were far from being at full strength. So, despite a relatively good performance, things aren’t good and dandy for the Dubs just yet. In fact, an argument could be made that the Dubs may still be a step off the best in the NBA at the moment.
However, this was just the first game of the season with a key player out of the lineup. With another 81 games to go, and a healthier team to look forward to, it is too early to make a judgment on the team at the moment.
