Warriors’ Draymond Green humbly aware of evolving role late in NBA career
Warriors’ Draymond Green humbly aware of evolving role late in NBA career originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Draymond Green has long been defined by his voice, intensity and edge.
But as his career enters its later stages, the Warriors forward is showing a different side — one rooted in self-awareness.
Green acknowledged the changing reality of his role and what comes with it.
“It doesn’t have to look a certain way for me,” Green told ESPN’s Anthony Slater. “I fear ever becoming one of those guys that everybody else know [their time is up] but me. I just never want to be that guy. Ego and entitlement can very much lead you to be that guy.”
For a player who has built a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame résumé on emotion and confidence, that level of humility stands out.
Green already has begun adjusting on the court. The Warriors’ offense no longer runs through the familiar Curry-Green actions every possession, and his responsibilities have shifted accordingly.
“It’s not like it used to be, every night me and Steph [Curry] was going to be in the pick-and-roll,” Green shared with ESPN. “Some nights I’m in the corner. Some nights I’m finding space.”
Even so, Green made clear he still believes in his ability to contribute at a high level — while also recognizing the physical realities of a 14-year NBA career.
“I don’t feel a decline because what I do I can still do at very, very high level,” Green told ESPN. “But I’m not as fast as I was. I don’t jump as high as I did. I feel all of that, for sure.”
That balance — confidence without denial — also has shaped how Green is approaching his role moving forward.
Green has been open to whatever the team needs, even expressing a willingness to come off the bench if necessary, according to Slater. At the same time, he has no interest in lingering past his effectiveness.
The Warriors forward told ESPN he does not plan to stick around at the end of the bench late in his career, but still believes he has several productive seasons ahead.
Steve Kerr echoed that outlook, while acknowledging the complexity of Green’s situation.
“But he has to reconcile all these forces — the force of his personality, the force of his game, and it’s going to depend on circumstances,” Kerr told ESPN. “He can definitely do it. It’s just a matter of does he want to do it and are the circumstances right for him, for the team, for other teams, wherever it ends, whether it’s here or elsewhere.”
For Green, the next phase of his career might look different.
But for perhaps the first time, he seems fully at peace with that.