Kerr preaches patience, Draymond Green conditioning ‘going to take some time’

Draymond Green had a rough first outing this week, having missed all of training camp due to COVID-19 protocols. He played just 18 minutes, didn’t score, missed a couple of threes, and was just not himself on either end in 18 minutes.

Draymond was hard on himself, but coach Steve Kerr preached patience. Via Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area:

“I sucked last night in guiding people on the floor,” Green said Saturday afternoon. “I didn’t talk much, which is who I am. I’ve got to be better in that space, for sure.”

Kerr was more forgiving of Green, as reported by Nick Friedell at ESPN:

“Draymond just looks like he’s getting his wind,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game. “He looked like a guy who missed training camp and has been working his way to get onto the floor. It looked like an exhibition-style game for him; and that’s not a criticism, it’s just where he is physically. He got a really tough break coming into the season with the COVID protocols, and so it’s going to take him some time. I’m glad to have him back, and he needs a few games under his belt to get that conditioning and that rhythm, but there’s no question it’s going to take some time.”

Golden State needs peak Green, and fast.

The 2-3 Warriors have not looked strong on either side of the ball to start the season, with a bottom-five offense and defense. Stephen Curry has been good — 26.4 points a game — but he is shooting 32.1% from three so far as defenses can focus on him without fear of other players hurting them (we’re looking at you, Andrew Wiggins). James Wiseman, the No. 2 pick in the draft, shows promise but also looks like a rookie at points trying to keep up with the mental side of the game.

Green can help make this team better, particularly on the defensive end, but it’s going to take a team effort to get the Warriors looking like a playoff team again.