The Golden State Warriors earned a 115-97 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. Stephen Curry led the charge with 23 points in the win. Draymond Green added eight points, eight rebounds, and four assists.
Green was recently ejected early in the Warriors' game against the Orlando Magic. Curry appeared to be frustrated after Green was ejected, as he understands how important Green is to the Warriors. Curry addressed Green's return to the rotation on Friday and explained what Draymond brings to the team, via Jerry Donatien of ClutchPoints.
“It was important, we need him,” Curry said of Green. “I said it last game. For us to try to finish the season strong and give ourselves the best shot not only in the standings, but with the way that we're playing and the energy that's building up towards hopefully being in the play-in. We just want an opportunity and he's a huge part of that. Need him on the floor.”
Stephen Curry believes in Draymond Green
Green does not record eye-opening stat-lines on a consistent basis. He is a leader on the floor, though. Green is not afraid to be vocal, and he's always willing to stand up for his teammates.
He's also an underrated playmaker. Green is a quality defender as well. He's capable of guarding multiple positions if necessary.
Over the years, Warriors stars such as Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant when he was with the team have drawn the most attention. All three of those players have enjoyed massive games from a scoring standpoint.
Green may not always score a lot of points, but he's always making plays while on the floor. Curry has been around Green for many years now and understands just how important he is to the Warriors. The Warriors and Curry are hopeful that Green can limit his ejections moving forward as Golden State looks to clinch an NBA Play-In Tournament spot.
Green did admit that he needs to avoid receiving ejections after the Warriors-Magic game.
“Just can't do it, regardless of what was said,” Green said on The Draymond Green Show. “I'm not about to get into what was said, because that's irrelevant. To Steph's point, I have to be on the floor. I look at this, I am not overreacting to this because of everything that happened in the beginning of the season.
“I feel like since I've returned, everything is heading in the right direction; hit a little bump in the road and keep going. I'm extremely grateful that my guys held me down. It was a very important game for us.”
The Warriors need Green
Green is averaging 8.6 points on 48.5 percent field goal and 37.7 percent three-point shooting. He's also averaging 7.3 rebounds, 5.9 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks per outing.
Again, Green's leadership and toughness are important, but it isn't as if he doesn't offer production from a statistical standpoint. He is more than capable of finding the bottom of the net from beyond the arc and his presence on the floor helps his teammates.
In all reality, the Warriors will need Green if they want to make any noise in the postseason. Making an NBA Finals run will certainly be a challenge as a play-in team, but it is not impossible. Stephen Curry is still playing at an elite level and Golden State has displayed signs of promise in recent action.
As long as Green manages to stay on the floor, the Warriors should be alright.
Golden State is currently in 10th place in the Western Conference. They are just one game ahead of the Houston Rockets for the final play-in spot, though.
The Warriors' current road trip will come to an end following Sunday's game against the San Antonio Spurs. They will then return home for just one game against the scorching hot Dallas Mavericks before hitting the road and traveling to Texas for important matchups in Houston and Dallas.
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