Steve Kerr Downplays Draymond Green’s NBA Finals Struggles

Warriors forward Draymond Green hasn’t exactly been filling up the stat sheet during the NBA Finals. But with his team one win away from its fourth championship in eight years, the versatile veteran known for his defense has drawn praise from the person whose opinion matters most: head coach Steve Kerr.

Speaking on the Damon & Ratto radio show on Tuesday, Kerr lauded Green’s performance so far against the Celtics—particularly on the defensive end.

Green has struggled offensively against Boston so far, averaging 5.0 points per game on 28.1% shooting from the field. He’s fouled out in three of the five games, but is also averaging 7.2 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.6 steals per game.

Still, the Warriors’ defense has stepped up during the past two games. Golden State has held Boston to under 100 points in each contest after allowing an average of 108 per game in the first three. The Celtics are shooting just 40.6% from the field and averaging 17 turnovers per game in Games 4 and 5.

Kerr also spoke in-depth about his and Green’s relationship over the years, noting how the two are similar in that they are both “a couple of hot heads.”

“Where we are similar is, we are kind of maniacal in our competitiveness. We have butted heads over the years based on that level of competition. I think our relationship has never been better,” Kerr said. “I think Draymond is right, it takes time to build relationships, especially in a super-competitive environment when you’ve got a couple of hot heads like us.

“We trust each other,” Kerr added. “I lean on him for advice during the games, he leans on me. We sort of collaborate and figure things out together, and it’s been wonderful. You can’t win without a guy like that, and I like the challenge that he brings to me every game to make sure I’m on top of my game, and I try to do the same thing for him.”

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