Draymond takes pride in laying foundation for future Warriors success

Draymond takes pride in laying foundation for future Warriors success originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Whether the Warriors win another championship during the 2024-25 NBA season, or whether it’s five, 10 or 15 years from now, Draymond Green believes his fingerprints will be all over the organization’s next title — whether he’s playing or not.

That’s because he and longtime teammates Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, the latter of whom departed this offseason to join the Dallas Mavericks, built the Warriors organization into what it has become ever since the dynastic trio won its first championship together in 2015.

Green spoke exclusively with The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson at the team’s training camp in Lāʻie, Hawaii where he discussed his commitment to winning now and the importance of helping build a strong foundation for future teams.

“Whether we win another championship or not,” Green told Thompson. “If (the Warriors) win the championship seven years from now, 10 years from now, that’s our championship. Period.”

Curry, the senior of the three longtime Warriors teammates, was selected with the No. 7 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. Golden State was fresh off a 29-53 2008-2009 season which was followed by an even worse 26-56 2009-2010 season in Curry’s rookie campaign.

The Warriors then posted a record of 36-46 in the following season before selecting Thompson with the No. 11 pick in the 2011 draft and a record of 23-43 in the 2011-12 season before selecting Green with the No. 35 pick in the 2012 draft.

Golden State consistently was one of the league’s worst teams around the time all three future Hall of Famers were drafted and because of how far the organization has come since then, Green always has and always will feel invested in its success — even long after his career ends.

“When you’ve built this s— up from the laughingstock of the NBA,” Green explained to Thompson, “… it feels a little different. I said to Joe Lacob two years ago, like, ‘You should understand I think about this organization like it’s mine.’ No disrespect to them that own this but, like, I take a great deal…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/draymond-takes-pride-laying-foundation-172539410.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-10-03 17:30:30

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