As Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors embark on their journey to win one more championship three years removed from a dynasty that culminated four titles in eight seasons, when will he retire? It's difficult to determine. Green responded to Kevin Durant over a take regarding the importance of a team's defense with championship aspiration, the magnitude of which Draymond believes he can still compete at.
He turns 36 in March. Amid his 14th season with the Warriors, Green can't say when he'll hang it up, as the end of his career is nowhere in sight, he said, per The Athletic's Sam Amick.
“I don’t know what that exact number is, but I do know I still enjoy a lot of what comes with this. And as long as I enjoy it, and can go through that process and give what I need to give to be at an elite level, I don’t foresee a reason to tie my shoe strings together and throw them over the telephone rope yet,” Green said. “I still enjoy too much of it. And I’m healthy. So you add the enjoyment with the health, and those two things can make it a little tougher (to walk away).”
As a seasoned veteran, Green feels extraordinary, and takes pride in holding his own in a league
“I’m in a space where I can fully look at this through one lens, and that’s ‘How is the basketball?’ That’s the grind of it, what I’m giving, the competition on a nightly basis. Going out there, how do I feel mentally and physically? All of that stuff is still very much intact. So that’s the only lens I need to look through right now.”
How Draymond Green fired back at Rockets' Kevin Durant
Warriors veteran Draymond Green fired back at Rockets All-Star Kevin Durant's take that offense is more important than defense. Green's frustration with the Warriors' defensive approach in a loss against the Bucks without All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo drove him crazy recently.
For Green, the defensive end of the ball is where he most makes his presence felt, and takes responsibility for the Warriors' defensive miscues.
“I think when you look at any team that won a championship, they had a great defense. And if you look at most teams that couldn’t quite get over the hump, oftentimes it’s (because) they couldn’t get stops,” Green said. “That fact still remains, and I think that those who don’t believe it, don’t win. It’s very simple.”
The Warriors will host the Suns on Tuesday.
