Draymond Green Questions Warriors' Commitment to Winning, Talks 'Personal Agendas'
Frustration is mounting for the Golden State Warriors after suffering their fifth loss in the last seven games on Tuesday night with a 126-102 defeat against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Draymond Green cited "personal agendas" and questioned his teammates' commitment to winning as the biggest difference between their struggles to start this season compared to how successful they were down the stretch last season after acquiring Jimmy Butler.
"I think everybody was committed to winning [back then] and doing that any way possible," Green said. "Right now, it doesn't feel that way."
Green did note "everyone has a personal agenda" in the NBA, but the best teams are able to make those work within the structure of the group:
"I think everyone has a personal agenda in this league. But you have to make those personal agendas work within the team confines. If it doesn't work, you kind of got to get rid of your agenda or eventually the agenda is the cause of someone getting rid of you."
It was made clear by Green that he wasn't singling out any one person specifically because "everyone" has to bear the burden of responsibility for how the Warriors are playing right now.
There are some logical reasons that explain why Golden State has stumbled after a 4-1 start. Stephen Curry missed three straight games with an illness before returning on Tuesday, but he scored just 11 points in 20 minutes against Oklahoma City.
Al Horford has been in and out of the lineup due to toe and foot injuries. The Warriors have the second-oldest roster in the NBA by average age this season, with three of their top five starters in at least their age-35 season (Green, Curry, Butler).
The most concerning thing for the Warriors is their offensive output has cratered from last season. They had the ninth-best rating in the NBA over their final 32 games after acquiring Butler, but they sit at 21st through 12 games this season.
Golden State's defense is still a top-10 unit by rating, so the hope will be that getting Curry back at full strength will provide a boost to the offense over time.
If things don't turn around soon, a season that started with high expectations could turn into a disaster for a Warriors team trying to maintain a competitive window in the final years with Curry and Green.
