The Golden State Warriors haven't exactly looked equipped to defend their title this season.

The reigning champions are still under .500 at the season's midway point, own the league's second-worst record away from home and sport a net rating in the red, 17th in offense and 19th in defense. They just finished marring a stunning five-game winning streak without Steph Curry and Andrew Wiggins, ending a home stand with consecutive losses to the Detroit Pistons, Orlando Magic and thoroughly depleted Phoenix Suns—further instances of the Dubs playing down to competition in 2022-23.

Just like Klay Thompson, though, Draymond Green doesn't believe his team's inability to play consistent championship-worthy basketball this season will serve as a harbinger for what's sure to be an ultra-competitive Western Conference playoffs. Why? The four-time champion knows Golden State has what it takes to win at the highest level—as long as it gets out of its own way.

“Very confident. We're very confident because ultimately we know what it takes,” Green told Stephen A. Smith of the Warriors' long-term mindset on Know Mercy. “All those teams that you just mentioned —Memphis, Dallas, New Orleans, Denver, Sacramento — they're having incredible seasons. You gotta tip your hat to those guys. Joker's playing at the MVP level we've come accustomed to, Ja as you say is ‘box office,' Luka the same thing. Zion, CJ and those guys. You gotta pay attention to those guys and understand what they've got goin, but I think for us personally, we know that it's more about us than it is about them.”

At least some of Golden State's struggles over the season's first half have been beyond their control.

Andrew Wiggins missed a month of play. Curry was out for 11 games. Green and Klay Thompson needed a couple weeks to ramp toward full minutes loads in the season's early going, and the latter still hasn't played in both sides of a back-to-back. Andre Iguodala only just debuted. Jonathan Kuminga, JaMychal Green and James Wiseman have all been sidelined since before the New Year.

The health bug has been biting the Warriors all season, basically, and unlike in years past, they don't have the quality, seasoned depth to make up for it. But now that Golden State is slowly rounding into full-strength, Green holds the opinion that this teams controls its own destiny in the Western Conference.

“We're 21-21. We're having probably the worst season that anyone would've imagined us having up until this point,” he said. We're eight games out of first place, we're in sixth place, and all has gone wrong. All has gone wrong. We've lost Steph, we've lost Wiggins, we've lost JaMychal. We've lost Wiseman, Kuminga, you name it, guys have been in and out of the lineup. And we're 21-21 and sitting in sixth place. Get everything together that we know that we need to get together—our offense, our defense, myself as a leader, and making sure our team is tight as it need to be — and we control our own destiny.

“And when I say we control our own destiny, I mean that from the standpoint of if we play great, we win,” Green continued. “If we get to the level that we know we need to be at in order to compete for a championship, I don't think anyone is beating us. And with those teams that you mentioned, the one thing we have on them is we've been there, we know what it takes.”

No one would be surprised if the Warriors emerged from the Western Conference playoffs again come June, earning the chance to fight for a remarkable fifth title in nine seasons. But their baseline level of play up to mid-January won't be good enough to accomplish that feat, key experience advantage over their contending peers be damned.

Look for Golden State to soon flip the switch, eyeing a second-half that proves it's still a top-line title contender as the playoffs dawn. Anything less would cast even further doubt on the Warriors' ability to win big when it matters most, their steadfast confidence rooted more in the past than telling season-long results.