Draymond Green “100%” believes the Golden State Warriors are NBA title contenders. The Warriors are in 10th place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 29-26.
If the season ended today, Golden State would face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 9-10 play-in tournament game.
The Warriors have won four championships in the Green-Stephen Curry–Klay Thompson era. They have played in six NBA Finals, going 4-2 against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics.
Golden State is 11-4 over its last 15 games. On the season, the Dubs are sixth in the NBA in points per game and 21st in points per game allowed.
Green, 33, is averaging 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.9 blocks this season.
The Warriors won the 2022 championship over the Celtics in six games. However, they lost to the Lakers in the second round of the playoffs last season in six games. It was the first time Golden State didn’t reach the Finals after making the postseason in the Steve Kerr era, which began in 2014.
Speaking of Kerr, he just signed a two-year, $35 million extension with the Warriors. Kerr is now the highest-paid coach in NBA history.
Kerr’s current contract was set to expire at the end of this season. His $17.5 million-per-season extension takes him through the 2025-26 season. The extension aligns him with the two years left on Curry’s contract.
“I think it’s incredible,” Green said. “Wouldn’t want to finish my time here with any other coach. What he’s meant to this franchise … the winning ways that he brought here, you can’t replace that. … He got what he deserved.”
It will be fascinating to see if the Warriors make the 2024 playoffs. If they stay as the 10th seed, Golden State would have to win two play-in tournament games to make the postseason as the eighth seed.
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