Draymond Green reacts to Steve Kerr's comments about veteran's new Warriors role originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors are locking in for the 2026-27 NBA season, where their goal is to return to being true title contenders. But they will run things back with virtually the same roster as last season, with players like Draymond Green set to play a big role once again. Things could look much different for Green this season, though.
Golden State has a lot to prove this season and used the offseason to regroup and reset, understanding that players’ roles will have to change if the franchise wants to be a part of the playoff conversation. Over the offseason, head coach Steve Kerr shared what a new role could look like for Green on The Tom Tolbert Show.
Green spoke about Kerr’s comments on his podcast, The Draymond Green Show, and gave a candid response about how the team wants him to play this coming season.
“As far as shooting threes, for the first time in my career, Coach Kerr told me towards the end of last year, he pulled me to the side and he’s like, ‘Draymond, I want you shooting the three.’ And I was like, ‘Oh s—.’ It was like an out of body experience, because I had never really heard him like confidently look me in my eye and say to me, ‘Yo, I want you shooting the basketball,” Green said on his podcast. “Even when I was shooting the ball great. It was just something that I had never heard. When he told me, the confidence level rose immediately.
“That was great for me, and now being able to go into the season with that mindset of like, I catch, I’m open, I’m firing. For me, ultimately, it’s going to help my shooting percentages, because it’s a lot different shooting the three when you catch and you’re not sure if you should shoot the three, or when you catch and you’re looking for the next action because that’s kind of your role in the offense. It’s a lot different shooting that three, because then it’s no longer a rhythm three.”
Green, a second-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, is one of the greatest defensive players to ever grace a basketball court but is not the most effective scorer. Averaging a career high of 14 points per game back in 2015-16, he has not averaged double figures in scoring since 2017-18. Steph Curry has been the Warriors’ top scorer in this era, but nearing the twilight of his career, the Warriors need to find ways to help Curry and take some pressure off of his shoulders.
Green has shown signs that he can shoot the ball well over the course of his career and has a career 3-point percentage of .321. The Warriors will face very good scoring teams this season, so if Green is able to work on his shooting ability even more, Golden State could be even more competitive in a wide-open NBA.
Green is entering his 15th season in the NBA and with the Warriors, hungrier than ever to add a fifth ring to his collection. A four-time All-Star, nine-time NBA All-Defensive team pick and the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year, Green’s career is Hall of Fame worthy, and a fifth ring would surely cement his status. Re-signing with the Warriors on a one-year deal this offseason, it is safe to say that Green and the Warriors are going all-in.
