Draymond Green: Warriors Have 'All of the Pieces' to Win NBA Championship This Season
Although the Golden State Warriors have struggled to begin the 2023-24 season, Draymond Green still believes that the team's current roster is talented enough to win the NBA Finals this year.
"I think that we've got all the pieces that we need in order to win," Green said, per Adam Taylor of USA Today. "If you look at some of these games we're losing, we've just gotta tighten up. Tighten up in the margins. We know what it takes to win a championship. I feel like we've got all of those things."
The 33-year-old's comments came after the Warriors were defeated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime on Friday night, losing by the final score of 138-136. With Golden State leading by three late in the fourth quarter, Green fouled Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren on a three-point shot with seven seconds remaining that wound up extending the game beyond 48 minutes.
The Warriors have a record of just 10-12 to open the season, sitting at 11th in the Western Conference. They've traded wins and losses in each of their past nine games, unable to break free from the streak of inconsistency.
Green has gotten off to an exceptional offensive start, however. The former Defensive Player of the Year is averaging a modest 10.2 points and 6.1 assists per game although he's connecting on a career-high 45 percent of his shots from behind the arc. He's also shooting 83.3 percent on free throws, another personal best.
Availability has been the issue for Green, as he's already missed eight games due to an ankle injury and a five-game suspension for putting Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert in a headlock.
