Green will propel the Warriors to championships; not stand in the way
By Derek Tahara
Draymond Green’s fiery competitive nature sometimes leads him to be a little wild, but the Warriors need it.
Early this morning ESPN writer Ethan Sherwood-Strauss posted an article about fiery leader and Warriors All-Atar Draymond Green being the key ingredient to leading the team to a dynasty or be the man to stand in the team’s way. Strauss goes on to state:
"“On June 10, during Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Cavaliers, some 20 million viewers caught him in the act of trying to slap LeBron James in the groin. Three days later, after being suspended for that act, he watched his Warriors lose by 15 before dropping Games 6 and 7 in the greatest collapse in Finals history. In early July, he was arrested in East Lansing, Michigan, on an assault charge resulting from a scuffle in a college bar.”"
These are some of the unfortunate events that have happened to Green in the past few months. Now, the question becomes: will Green’s antics become such a problem that it will prevent the Warriors potentially winning championship after championship?
The answer is no.
Green’s antics and fiery passion will not become such a problem that it would prevent the Warriors from championship success. It is because of his fiery passion and competitive drive to want it more than anyone else and is not afraid to get into the ear of his teammates and coaches. As Strauss stated on his approach to the game after being underestimated in his college career and his early years in the NBA:
"“The reasons are myriad, but perhaps the main one is this: His approach represents a hybrid, if not a revolution. It’s an aggressive, American brashness mixed with an egalitarian, European insistence on moving the ball.”"
The brashness and constant willingness to move the ball are some of Green’s greatest traits that make him so valuable to this Warriors team. Yes, Green walks that line of being brash and over the top, but more often than not, he’s going to make the right decision to be fiery and when to not be. Additionally, if you take away his fire and passion for the game, then you take away his greatest asset and the Warriors need that if they want to keep having success. They need his energy and enthusiasm for the game when the game slows down and there’s a lack of flow to the offense or attention to detail on the defensive end.
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Everything Green does might seem over the top, but he plays with a chip on his shoulder and a nasty edge, something the Warriors need in order to be successful since many of the guys such as Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant are more mild mannered players.
Ultimately, Green can control his actions and along with his coaches and teammates will help him control those antics, which will hopefully propel them to win championship after championship.