Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors currently find themselves in the awkward period every dynastic sports team goes through where they aren't ready to throw in the towel quite yet but have to face the fact that the competition has caught up to, and in many cases surpassed, them. Curry continues to play at an elite level entering his age 37 season but the Warriors are coming off of a highly frustrating 2023-24 campaign in which they missed out on the playoffs altogether for the third time in five years.
One of the key reasons for Golden State's downward trajectory as of late has been the sharp decline of Draymond Green, which has been juxtaposed with the fact that his notoriously short temper has somehow gotten even more volatile in recent years, resulting in frequent suspensions and legitimate questions about his ability to control his actions.
Recently, Green took to the Club 520 podcast to discuss how long he believes he has left in the NBA.
“I’m on the wrong side of my down slide, like I’m headed into year 13,” said Green, via Club 520 on YouTube. “I probably got two more. And so it’s important to start building for the next thing, but for some of these guys they be in year three still trying to figure it out with the podcast. Like I love that you're doing it, I love that you found something that you want to do, but you in year three and ain't done s–t nobody really want to hear from you, you know what I'm saying.”
Indeed, podcasts have become a trend in recent years even from NBA players who don't necessarily have a lot of experience or success to draw on. Green himself has drawn criticism for podcasting as his team is in the middle of playoff runs, which some have perceived as corny.
Can Draymond still contribute to winning basketball?
In his prime, Draymond Green was one of the most unique players in the NBA, one of the smartest players in the league who was arguably its best defender and also one of its elite passers and playmakers.
However, as his athleticism has declined, Green has increasingly relied on plays that can only be described as dirty to make his impact felt, and he has struggled to assimilate with the younger players surrounding him in Golden State, including most notably former Warriors guard Jordan Poole, whom he punched at a practice before the 2022-23 season.
While it's possible that Green could still have something left in the tank to contribute to winning basketball, the last two years haven't provided any evidence that he is willing to put his ego to the side and embrace a new role.
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