Draymond emphatically states Warriors need rookies’ energy on road
originally appeared on
NBC Sports Bay Area
The Golden State Warriors’ starting lineup, consisting of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, and Kevon Looney, has an average age of nearly 32 years old. On the other hand, the Warriors faced the youthful Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night at Paycom Center.
Without their 25-year-old star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder’s starting five of Josh Giddey, Cason Wallace, Lu Dort, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren averages around 21-and-a-half years old. This group includes two 21-year-olds, a 22-year-old, a 24-year-old, and a 19-year-old rookie.
Despite the Warriors winning a thrilling last-second 141-139 victory on Steph Curry’s underhand finish over the 7-foot-1 Holmgren, the Thunder seemed to have more energy and fresher legs for the majority of the game. Draymond Green revealed a possible explanation for this.
Green, 32, felt the absence of rookies Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis, as well as second-year pro Lester Quinones.
“I also think our young fellas not being here, Trayce and BP and Lester, the energy that they bring to this team – we missed that,” Green said. “Next time we have an In-Season Tournament game, we need those guys here because they bring a lot of juice for us.
“You always talk about young guys bringing energy. That’s their job. But we don’t have to tell those guys to bring energy. They do every single day. I wasn’t overly shocked our energy wasn’t there because they are the guys that lift our energy level and they weren’t here.”
Draymond believes the Warriors’ energy would have been better with Trayce Jackson-Davis, Brandin Podziemski and Lester Quinones on the bench in OKC, and considers them integral to the fabric of the team
pic.twitter.com/8XYu5EoSuv— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors)
November 4, 2023
Podziemski, 20, and Jackson-Davis, 23, were
assigned to the Warriors’ G League
affiliate in Santa Cruz earlier Friday. Warriors coach Steve Kerr explained that this decision was made because the next few days mark the beginning of training camp for Santa Cruz, giving the rookies an opportunity to work on drills and participate in scrimmages.
Neither Podziemski nor Jackson-Davis have been consistent contributors to the Warriors’ rotation so far this season. However, in their respective debuts against the New Orleans Pelicans, they displayed promise. Podziemski, the Warriors’ first-round pick, recorded five points, eight rebounds, and two assists in 23 minutes on the court. Jackson-Davis, selected 57th overall, tallied 13 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks in 20 minutes.
With three more games left on their current road trip, starting with a matchup against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Draymond Green expressed his desire to have the rookies back on the bench as soon as possible.
“One thousand percent,” Green affirmed. “Absolutely. We need them here. They’re a big part of the fabric of this team, so we missed them tonight.”
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