What Steve Kerr Expects From Draymond Green In Warriors' Season Of Change

What Steve Kerr expects from Draymond Green in Warriors' season of change originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

After being eliminated in the NBA Play-In Tournament last season, the Warriors are due for a reset, and roles will have to change within the franchise in an effort to become a competitive playoff team again.

Head coach Steve Kerr shared with Tom Tolbert what this transition period will look like for Draymond Green.

“Since he shared what I shared with him in private,” Kerr stated on a recent episode of the “Tom Tolbert Show”. “I feel it’s only right that I share what he shared with me in private. At the end of the year, we had our exit meeting, and he said, ‘Hey, I want to thank you for your patience because you’ve been really patient with me.’ I think it’s been well worth it. He’s a guy I will say forever; we don’t have a single championship without him. This year I need the same patience from him.”

Kerr will need grace from Green as the Warriors search for their true identity. First-round draft pick Yaxel Lendeborg thrived in the Summer League, but we will have to wait and see if that stellar performance will translate to regular season games.

“It is going to be an interesting year,” Kerr continued. “A transition year of sorts. We’re going to do some things differently. He and Steph obviously have this great rapport. We’re not going to take away from that, but he’s going to have to adapt a little bit, and it’s probably going to be a little frustrating times. So, I’m going to need his patience, too.”

Golden State was in the running to land Green’s good friend and NBA legend, LeBron James, in free agency this offseason. Once James decided to head to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Warriors were left with a nearly identical roster to last season.

“We have to cut back on the turnovers, Kerr admitted. “I want him (Green) shooting the three. He may not be a super high-percentage shooter, but possessions are good for us when he shoots.

Green averaged 2.7 turnovers per game last season, which was the seventh-most among all forwards in the NBA. He shot 32.6 percent from distance, which is slightly above his career average.

“For us to be good,” Kerr concluded. “We’ve got to find a much more streamlined, efficient way to play.”

Staying healthy and limiting turnovers will both be essential if the Warriors want to compete with a stacked Western Conference and make the postseason.

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