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Warriors' Marquese Chriss Speaks on Stephen Curry, Draymond Green's Leadership
May 12, 2020
Golden State Warriors forward Marquese Chriss has enjoyed a positive experience this season even with the Dubs sitting in last place in the NBA.
During a Twitter Q&A on Monday, Chriss discussed how beneficial it has been to learn from Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green (h/t Ali Thanawalla of NBC Sports Bay Area):
"This year, I just tried to learn as much as I could from Steph and Draymond. They are very vocal leaders and they are passionate about what they do and they care about us as individuals, and they want us to be as successful as they are and they try to teach us as much as they can, and I think each and everyone of us on the team tries to listen and learn as best as we can.
"Just learn from people who have won championships, people who have been where each of us wants to be, I think that's the best thing for us as a young team coming up is to have veterans that are willing to teach us and young guys that are willing to learn."
Golden State has taken its lumps this season with Klay Thompson missing the entire year due to a knee injury and Curry missing most of the season with a broken hand, but they are set up for success next season and beyond.
Curry and Green have helped lead the Warriors to three NBA championships, and their leadership will be more important than ever in the coming years as young players like Chriss attempt to develop a championship mentality as well.
The topic of leadership in the NBA is of particular interest currently due to ESPN's The Last Dance docu-series, which follows Michael Jordan's career with the Chicago Bulls, especially his final season in 1997-98.
Many of MJ's former teammates admitted in the documentary that he wasn't overly pleasant to be around much of the time, but they also understand now that his motivational tactics and form of leadership helped breed success.
The Athletic's David Aldridge made mention of Curry and Green's leadership style in an article he wrote about Jordan on Monday. Aldridge noted that Green has been an "a-hole" to his teammates "on occasion," and added that it "hasn't been all sunshine and puppies" for the Dubs during their run of dominance.
Aldridge called Curry "mostly sunny," but also referred to him as the "exception who proves the rule."
Curry and Green seemingly have different leadership styles, but they have complemented each other well, as the Warriors reached five consecutive NBA Finals prior to this season.
The 2019-20 campaign was a lost season for the Dubs even before it was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, but it could prove to be a positive over time, as young players like Chriss, Eric Paschall, Damion Lee and Jordan Poole have gotten the chance to play a lot and learn even more.
Golden State is also in line to have one of the top picks in the 2020 NBA draft, and that player will join a talented and experienced core that includes Curry, Green, Thompson and Andrew Wiggins.
Curry and Green have seen and done it all at this point in their careers, and their mere presence should play a significant role in the Warriors' success next season and beyond provided all of the team's key players manage to stay relatively healthy.