Warriors' Draymond Green Praises GSW's Improved Chemistry: 'Last Year Was Horse S--t'

The joy is apparently back for the Golden State Warriors.

Just ask Draymond Green.

"Last year was horse s--t," Green said, per Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. "It was hard to come to work. Not fun. This year, you see the joy on guys' faces when they come into the building. You've got guys staying over two and three hours after, just sitting around talking. Getting here two or three hours early just to be here. You start to see that and you're like, 'OK, this is a group that likes being together.'"

That improved chemistry is translating to on-court success, as the Warriors are 4-1 in the early portion of the season.

Their latest win was a 102-101 thriller over the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday that included Klay Thompson hitting the game-winner on a Green assist in the final minute. Golden State overcame 17 turnovers to come away with the victory.

"I think I can't name one person in there who hasn't shown the willingness to sacrifice thus far," Green said after that win.

"And I don't see that changing. That doesn't mean a guy isn't going to be mad that he is coming out the game. We're competitors. We want to play. But when it was all said and done, I've got my teammates' back. I'm not going to be a distraction to this team. Last year, we had an awful team as far as chemistry goes. It was pathetic. But chemistry has been a strong suit here."

That it is Green making those comments is notable because the biggest change from last season to this season on the roster is the addition of Chris Paul and the subtraction of Jordan Poole.

Poole was part of the trade package that brought the future Hall of Fame point guard to the Warriors.

Yet it was also Green who punched Poole at practice ahead of the 2022-23 campaign and then later admitted the incident impacted his leadership during the season. Golden State ended up losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the second round of the playoffs.

Whether it is the Poole-Paul situation or something else, better chemistry from the Warriors is worth noting. After all, the core of Stephen Curry, Thompson and Green with head coach Steve Kerr is still in place, and that group has won four championships together since 2015.

It would be anything but surprising if it was challenging for a fifth even in a daunting Western Conference if the chemistry remains at an elevated level.