In separate interviews, Warriors forward Draymond Green and head coach Steve Kerr lavished each other with praise but also said the other had done things that wounded them.
Santiago Mejia/S.F. Chronicle
As the Golden State Warriors await a decision on Steve Kerr’s future, Draymond Green offered fresh thoughts on his longtime head coach — lavishing Kerr with praise while also suggesting he has “hindered” Green’s career.
Green made these comments on his podcast Wednesday, in the wake of the New Yorker posting a long, insightful interview with Kerr. The piece covered a wide range of topics, from Kerr’s political views and childhood experiences in the Middle East to his NBA interactions with Michael Jordan and Stephen Curry, among others.
Kerr also discussed Green, again calling him the “best defensive player I’ve ever seen.” Green expressed his appreciation on the podcast, saying compliments like that “mean the world” to him.
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Then, later in the podcast, Green turned to his offense.
“As much as Steve has done for me in basketball, part of me thinks he’s hindered me in my career and what I could have become,” Green said of Kerr. “But what he’s also helped me become, you gotta take the good with the bad. When I think of who I was offensively as a player and who I became, I think part of that is due to him.
“I don’t hold that against him. I’m forever grateful he still put me in position to be successful, and I could become Draymond Green despite my offensive role on our team. Since KD (Kevin Durant) came here, I have not had a play in our playbook, not a single play run for me since 2016.
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“You think that would hinder someone as an offensive player? Of course. I think about my career, and I’m happy as hell for what I’ve been able to do. But sometimes I think what could I really have been if I stayed true to my game? That wasn’t in the cards.
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“So I don’t sit and say ‘I f—ing hate Steve’ because of that. It’s one of my gripes. But if you’re going to take one gripe and not move past it because of all the other things, then you’re shallow. I’ve always just moved past it and made the best of my situation.”
Worth noting: Green’s playing time and offensive numbers both jumped when Kerr took over as head coach. Green averaged 21.9 minutes, 6.2 points and 5 minutes in Mark Jackson’s final season (2013-14) at the helm, then 31.5 minutes, 11.7 points and 8.2 rebounds in Kerr’s first year.
The next season, when the Warriors won an NBA-record 73 games, Green posted career-high averages of 34.7 minutes, 14 points and 9.5 rebounds.
His offensive production began to drop when Durant arrived in 2016, giving the Warriors two of the league’s most dynamic scorers in Durant and Curry. Green’s long-range shooting also fell sharply: He made 38.8% of his 3-point shots in 2015-16, a mark he hasn’t approached in nine of the 10 seasons since then (he made 39.5% from deep in 2023-24).
This whole conversation seems to trace to one Kerr comment in the New Yorker interview. Asked about his sometimes combustible relationship with Green, Kerr acknowledged numerous blowups over the years (most recently during a timeout huddle in December) before concluding, “There’s things he’s done that I can never forgive him for, and yet I will do anything for him.”
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On the podcast, Green said he wasn’t bothered by the quote. He also added, “I definitely have some gripes about his coaching tenure that I’ll never be able to move past. But that’s probably (true) with any relationship.”
That led to Green’s longer monologue about Kerr limiting him offensively.
Green also lauded Kerr throughout the podcast, saying he’s “like family to me” and repeating past proclamations that he doesn’t want to play for any other coach. Green highlighted Kerr’s patience, which Green called “crazy.”
“When we get to hotels at 3 a.m., he’s the first person off the bus, he grabs his key and he’s the first person at the elevator,” Green said. “Steve steps to the side and lets everybody go. I’ve watched this for years and thought, ‘I have to get to this level of patience.’
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“He just always knows the right thing to do and the right thing to say. … So many coaches would just go (onto the elevator). You’re the head coach. Not one person would say Steve’s wrong for getting on that elevator first.”