[Saba Sports News] Following a significant victory against the Sacramento Kings, Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors secured an emotional 102-101 win, thanks to Klay Thompson’s last-second game-winner.
After the game, Green discussed the team’s chemistry, highlighting the stark difference from the previous season. He candidly described last year’s team as having terrible chemistry, characterizing it as a challenging and joyless environment to work in. He noted the current group’s enthusiasm for being together.
“Last year, we had an awful team as far as chemistry goes,” Green said. “Last year was horse s–t. Hard to come to work. Not fun. This year, you see the joy on guys’ faces when they come in the building … This is a group that likes being together.”
Green’s remarks can easily be interpreted as directed towards his former Warriors teammate, Jordan Poole, who was traded to the Washington Wizards as part of the Chris Paul deal in the offseason. With the exception of Donte DiVincenzo, Poole is the only key rotation player from last season who is no longer with Golden State.
Ironically, Green himself likely contributed to the negative atmosphere last season, notably through an altercation with Poole during practice before the season began. Reportedly, he resisted Warriors management’s requests to mend his relationship with Poole.
Despite Green’s comments, the early results of the Poole-for-Paul trade appear promising, with the Warriors starting the season 4-1. However, Green’s attempt to blame others for the toxic environment he may have helped create last season is not convincing to many observers.