Draymond Green has built a Hall of Fame résumé with the Golden State Warriors, four championships, multiple All-Star selections, and a defensive legacy that defines an era.
But despite that success, the veteran forward admits there’s one lingering frustration tied directly to head coach Steve Kerr.
“As much as he’s done for me in basketball, a part of me think he’s hindered me in my career and what I could have become,” Green said speaking on The Draymond Green Podcast. “But what he’s also helped me become. Like you got to take the good with the bad, man.
“You know, when I think of who I was offensively as a player and who I became, I think a part of that is due to him. I don’t hold that against him. I’m forever grateful that he still put me in a position to be successful and that I could become Draymond Green despite my offensive role on our team.”
That role became even more defined following the arrival of Kevin Durant in 2016, when the Warriors’ offense revolved almost entirely around elite scoring talent.
“You know, when [Kevin Durant] came from 2016 on, I have not had a play in our playbook,” Green continued. “Not a single play that we run for me in our playbook since 2016. You think that would hinder someone as an offensive player? Of course. So at times, I go home and I think about my career and I’m happy as hell of what I’ve been able to build. But at times, sometimes I sit there and think, ‘What could I really have been if I stayed true to my game and what I really was?’ ”
Despite the criticism, Green made it clear his comments come with perspective, not resentment.
“I don’t sit and be like, ‘Oh man, like I f–king hate Steve because of that,’” Green said. “No, it’s one of my gripes. But if you’re going to take one gripe and not be able to move past it for all the other things, then you’re shallow as a person.”
He added, “You know, when [Kevin Durant] came from 2016 on, I have not had a play in our playbook. Not a single play that we run for me in our playbook since 2016. You think that would hinder someone as an offensive player? Of course. So at times, I go home and I think about my career and I’m happy as hell of what I’ve been able to build. But at times, sometimes I sit there and think, ‘What could I really have been if I stayed true to my game and what I really was?’ ”
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