Draymond Green gets real on proving doubters wrong at age 36

The Golden State Warriors came out to Los Angeles this week and, after being in town since Saturday morning, put together one of the most dominant second-half performances in recent memory. Led by Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, the Warriors defeated the LA Clippers in the 9-10 play-in tournament game to advance and play the Phoenix Suns on Friday night.

Curry handled the bulk of the scoring load, finishing the contest with 35 points — including 27 in the second half — with four assists and seven three-pointers made. But it was Draymond Green who took on the assignment of guarding Kawhi Leonard head-on, both one-on-one and as a part of constant second-half double-teams as the Warriors put forth their most impressive performance to date this season.

In the first half, Kawhi Leonard recorded 14 points, six rebounds, and three assists with zero turnovers in 20 minutes of play. The Warriors began blitzing and double-teaming Leonard in the second half, leading to one of the worst halves of basketball he’s ever played.

Kawhi Leonard finished the second half with seven points and five turnovers, making it the first time in his storied career he’s ever had seven or fewer points and five or more turnovers in the same half.

Draymond Green, who many claimed had lost a step defensively, spoke about the defensive performance and proving doubters wrong.

“There will never be a person that I will want to prove more to than myself,” Green told ClutchPoints. “The same people that say I lost a step said I never had a step. They’re the same people that said I will never make it and I should be out of the NBA or I ride a coattail. The list goes on and on. Those are the same people. Like, you know? Ultimately, when you step on the floor, this is competition. You want to be your best.”

Draymond Green’s box score numbers don’t necessarily stand out at you: seven points, six rebounds, nine assists, and four steals in 35 minutes of play. But watch Green’s performance against the Clippers a second time and you’ll see a masterclass on the defensive end of the floor, both by him and his Warriors teammates together.

“If you don’t bring your best against Kawhi Leonard, you get embarrassed fast. The last two days, I’ve had to live with the fear of getting embarrassed because I know the matchup that’s ahead of me. With that, you lean on your preparation and I’ve prepared for this moment. I think I still got a lot left in the tank and I’ll continue to show that, but like I said, it’s more about proving to myself than anyone else. As long as I can prove something to me, I know my expectations are way higher than everyone else’s. If I can prove me right, it’s a piece of cake proving everybody else wrong.”

Draymond: "There will never be a person that I will want to prove more to than myself. The same people that say I lost a step said I never had a step. They're the same people that said I will never make it and I should be out of the NBA, I ride a coattail. If you don't bring your… pic.twitter.com/Mo0RnoUyBp

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) April 16, 2026

The Warriors will now advance to play the Phoenix Suns on Friday night in the Valley of the Sun. Phoenix finished the season as the seventh seed in the Western Conference, but dropped their initial 7-8 play-in tournament game against the Portland Trail Blazers after blowing an 11-point lead with under seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

If the Warriors are to win that game, Draymond Green will need to be at his absolute best once again alongside Stephen Curry.

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