The Golden State Warriors are looking to capitalize on the tail end of their championship window in 2023-24, and they’re off to a good start. After losing the first game of the season to Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns, the Warriors have won four in a row, including two against their budding rival Sacramento Kings.
Draymond Says Warriors Have Far Better Chemistry This Season
“Last year, we had an awful team as far as chemistry goes…Last year was horse shit. Hard to come to work. Not fun. This year, you see the joy on guys’ face when they come in the building…this is a group that likes being together.”
– Draymond Green
(Via @DannyEmerman) pic.twitter.com/QsZSXbXiTv
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 2, 2023
Steph Curry is on a tear that has him garnering far-too-early MVP consideration, and the addition of Chris Paul to the rotation has been apparently seamless thus far. There seems to be a cohesion that was missing during the loss that came at the hands of the Lakers last postseason, and there may be an obvious reason for that, according to Draymond Green.
Green was the subject of many of the headlines coming out of Golden State last year. It all began with the practice session sucker punch that broke teammate Jordan Poole’s jaw, and continued with questions about the state of the team’s bond and loyalty to one another. Things came to a head in the playoffs, when head coach Steve Kerr admitted to there being issues in the locker room that led to underwhelming performances on the court.
The Warriors had a decision to make. They could hold on to their plans for the future and keep the expensive yet struggling Jordan Poole around, while letting Green walk in free agency. Or they could keep the player that many believe to be the heart and soul of Golden State’s dynasty, and keep the team’s original core together despite his advancing age and declining on-court production.
Was Jordan Poole Really The Problem?
Jordan Poole decided to throw an off-glass alley-oop to Kyle Kuzma with the Wizards trailing by 21 points against the Hawks 😅pic.twitter.com/ha98NGFKT1
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 2, 2023
They chose the latter, and early returns show that the correct decision was made. And according to Green himself, there is a noticeable difference in the team’s cohesion:
“Last year, we had an awful team as far as chemistry goes…Last year was horse shit. Hard to come to work. Not fun. This year, you see the joy on guys’ face when they come in the building…this is a group that likes being together.”
He doesn’t mention Poole by name in the quote or even reference the specific situation. But the implications are obvious, though perhaps arguable. It was widely reported that the rift wasn’t only between Green and Poole, but Green and the rest of the young guys on the team. The issues have otherwise been kept behind closed doors, so whom exactly was disrupting the chemistry last year is up for debate.
While the Warriors are soaring up the standings, Poole’s Wizards are 1-3. His numbers are down across the board through the first week of the season, as he is shooting under 25% from 3-point range so far.
Jordan Poole and the Wizards will visit Golden State on December 22nd.
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