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“Going from the best team in the NBA to the worst was a mind-f**k”: Draymond Green admits that he lacked motivation during the Warriors 2019-20 season with Steph Curry sidelined

Samir Mehdi
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Draymond Green opens up about the transition from being the best team in the league to the worst in a matter of a couple months. 

the 2019-20 Golden State Warriors looked like a shell of themselves mid-way through the season. They had lost Klay Thompson to injury in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, Kevin Durant was signed and traded to the Nets, and Steph Curry broke his hand, leading to him only playing 5 games that season. This left Draymond Green out on the floor as the sole member of the late 2010s championship core. 

The Warriors won 57 games in the 2018-19 season despite dealing with a few problems in the locker room, mainly involving Draymond Green and KD. The very next season saw them at the very bottom of the Western Conference, having won merely 15 games that season.

Also read: “Sacramento Kings went 1-40 on the road in 1991”: How the Kings posted up an atrocious away from home record during the 1990-91 season

It’s understandable that Draymond, after so many seasons of basketball excellence, was taken aback and demotivated by a sudden shift in success. He opened up to Logan Murdock of ‘The Ringer’ about the same. 

Draymond Green talks about the Warriors 2019-20 NBA season. 

“You couldn’t have told me 3 months before that I would go from the best team ever to the f**king worst team in the NBA. It was frustrating. And it was also a mind-f**k,” said Draymond Green. This one quote should summarize just how intense the turnaround was for the Warriors during this time.

Also read: “James Harden could make 800 3s straight and still not be better than Steph Curry”: Incredibly telling stat showcases just how much greater the Warriors superstar is at shooting than everybody else

Green delves into how it was increasingly demotivating to show up to every game knowing that the other team wasn’t taking them seriously and that, “they’re going to kick our a**”. 

“I wouldn’t necessarily say it killed my pride because at the end of the day I knew that there was only one person in the league that can talk anything to me about anything basketball. And that’s LeBron. That was the only guy who could really talk sh*t about accomplishments or the game of basketball in this league.” 

Of course, this upcoming season would be two years removed from this atrocious 2019-20 campaign and Draymond Green can safely say that he’s fighting for a title once again. 

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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