Draymond Green delivers blunt assessment of Warriors’ championship aspirations

The Golden State Warriors saw their season derailed by injuries and inconsistency, and it all came to an end Friday when the Memphis Grizzlies beat them for the final Western Conference playoff spot. Still, there remains a belief that the current core, if healthy, can still contend for a championship.

Draymond Green sounded less optimistic after Friday’s loss, suggesting that the Warriors have a lot of work to do to get back to where they want to be.

“We’re not in the playoffs, so we’re a ways away,” Green said, via Nick Friedell of ESPN. “I may go to Mexico or something [Saturday], but that’s not a gym. That’s not to an arena. That’s not flying to Utah, so we got a ways to go because we’re not in the playoffs — so we’re far away. Because in order to win a championship, you got to be in the playoffs. So we’re clearly a ways away — a few tweaks here and there, and we’re not that far. But right now we’re a ways away because we’re not in the playoffs.”

To be fair, Green clearly thinks the Warriors can get there, but he’s not wrong that it’s a big gulf between being an eight seed and being a title contender. The Warriors should get Klay Thompson back next year, which can only help, but the supporting cast needs to be better and the team will need to stay healthy for a full season.

Steve Kerr thought there were other factors in play, too. Whatever the case, the franchise is clearly in an intriguing spot. The good news is thanks to the D’Angelo Russell-Andrew Wiggins swap, they’re going to have two lottery picks to work with.