Steve Kerr is missing the playoffs for the third time in his 10 seasons in charge of the Warriors. While Kerr has taken most of the blame, fans are pointing fingers at Draymond Green for his various suspensions and inconsistent performances over the season. Kerr has defended Draymond impassionately, asking fans to be grateful for his presence otherwise the team would have no titles.
"I will stick with [Draymond] forever because I know who he is as a human being... Without Draymond, we have 0 championships, I don't think people realize that."
Kerr elaborated on his point and revealed that Green is actively working towards being the best version of himself.
"For our fans, I would say: Be lucky, be fortunate, be grateful that you've had Draymond Green for 12 years. You have 4 championships and 2 finals appearances beyond that. Draymond is fighting to be the best version of himself now. I'm embracing it. Our whole organization is embracing it because we love him and I think our fans do too."
(Starts at 25:21)
Kerr admitted that Green crossed multiple lines over the course of last season, given his suspensions and ejections. He said he doesn't mind Draymond getting tossed occasionally as it injects fire into the team, but his behavior over the last season went above and beyond what was expected from even him.
Draymond averaged 8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.0 assists this season. His winning impact was substantial, with the Warriors going 33-22 with him in the lineup.
His suspensions for choking Rudy Gobert and punching Jusuf Nurkic were entirely avoidable, with various other contentious moments proving to be a massive distraction for the Warriors this season.
The Warriors Big Three Want To Stay Together
Kerr wants the fans to make nice with Draymond because there's almost no chance he won't be on the roster next season. The only question lies with Klay Thompson, who is a free agent this summer. Stephen Curry has made it clear he wants the team to maintain the core trio of him, Draymond, and Klay.
"I can never see myself not with those two guys. I understand this league changes and there's so many things that go into it and we're not going to play forever. But we experienced so much together. At the end of the day, I know they want to win and I know I want to win and that's all I worry about."
Draymond is invaluable to the Warriors, still carrying the team on the defensive end. In fact, the Warriors were at their best this season when Draymond was playing center. While he may be undersized for the position, his defensive fundamentals make him a nightmare matchup.
The Warriors have teased big changes over the summer, but it's likely that those changes come through other avenues instead of the big three. Draymond was extended last season, Steph Curry is Steph Curry, and Klay's market value might be low enough for it to make the most sense for him to return to the franchise.
More must-reads: