Stephen Curry Says Warriors Will Feel Draymond Green's Return 'Right Away'
Draymond Green won't single-handedly solve every issue for the Golden State Warriors, but his presence should help stabilize the team a bit following a shaky start to the 2020-21 NBA season.
"The things he does well, you'll feel right away," Stephen Curry told reporters ahead of Friday's game against the Portland Trail Blazers. "Energy, effort, communication."
Head coach Steve Kerr confirmed Green is probable to make his season debut after having battled a foot injury.
The Warriors dropped their first two games by 65 combined points. They bounced back with wins over the Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons, but the Blazers figure to present a stiff challenge.
With Green back, Golden State will almost be at full strength. Eric Paschall has a sore right knee that leaves his status for Friday night up in the air.
Those heavy losses to the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks probably aren't representative of what the Warriors are this year, but they served as a reality check to some extent.
Kelly Oubre Jr. isn't Klay Thompson. A change of scenery may not see Andrew Wiggins improve much over the player he was with the Minnesota Timberwolves. And Marquese Chriss' season-ending injury leaves the frontcourt thin and heavily dependent on 19-year-old rookie James Wiseman.
The Warriors will be better with Green on the court—how much better is the big question.
The 30-year-old hasn't been the same player he was when he earned the last of his three straight All-Star nods in 2018, playing into concerns about how he'll perform as he ages. He shot 42.1 percent from the field and 28.2 percent from the perimeter over the last two seasons, and his three worst years for defensive rating came between 2017-20, per NBA.com.
Some called Thompson's Achilles tendon tear the final blow to end Golden State's dynasty. The Warriors will probably never be as good with this core as they were during that run, but the next few weeks will show whether Curry and Green can wedge their championship window open a little longer.
