The Golden State Warriors are already off to a better start this year compared to last season. The team seems to be playing fluid again and is making a case for being a championship contender yet again. Last season may have been an anomaly and Draymond Green was very blunt when asked about the team chemistry in the locker room last year.
“Last year we had an awful team as far as chemistry goes,” Green said. “It was hard to come to work. Not fun. So this year you see the joy on guys’ faces when they come into the building. You got guys staying over two to three hours just talking. Getting two to three hours early just to be here. You start to see that, and you’re like, ‘OK, this is a group that likes to be together.'”
This season, the Warriors have added Chris Paul to their core. They also traded Jordan Poole and so far, it seems to have made a significant difference for the team as a whole. Even point guard, Stephen Curry, had some thoughts.
“You understand the vibe of what happened last year. … The time we got to spend together as a group was huge,” Steph Curry said. “We could get the elephants out of the room of [Paul] joining the team, some other vets that we had coming in. … It helped to have some familiarity with everybody’s personalities and motivations going into the year.”
Draymond Green also had this to say.
“You can see the adults in the room, the professionals in the room, the steady forces in the room. It’s paying off,” Green said. “Look at our second unit. At times they’ve played better than our first unit. … I always tell guys you win championships six through 10, not one through five.”
Clearly, Green and the Warriors have done a little soul searching since last season.
Draymond Green on Golden State’s Chemistry Last Season
Golden State’s Projection This Season
Many were wondering if this was the beginning of the end for the Golden State Warriors. However, Chris Paul has brought into his role so far and is even coming off the bench showing he is willing to sacrifice for a possible ring. The team is currently 4-1 tied for second place in the Western Conference with the defending champion, Denver Nuggets. Steph Curry and company look to be on a mission to start this year which should terrify the rest of the league. A motivated Golden State squad is always trouble for the NBA.
Draymond Green’s Impact
Draymond Green has always been Golden State’s Swiss Army knife. He can do it all and has no problem with doing the dirty work so that Curry, Thompson, and Paul can do what they do best. This season, the former Defensive Player of the Year is tallying 7.7 points, 7.0 assists, 1.0 blocks, and 4.3 total rebounds per game. With Green still doing what he does best with this core group of players, the team will certainly go further than they did last year. As of right now, the Golden State Warriors look like a top-five team in the NBA.
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