Why Draymond Green considers Warriors' latest NBA title defense most difficult
Why Dray considers Warriors' current title defense their hardest originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
Defending an NBA championship is nothing new for Warriors stars Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
Golden State's core has attempted to go back-to-back three times during the dynasty's run -- a lofty challenge for even the greatest of teams. But this year has been even more difficult for the Warriors.
"It has 100 percent been the hardest title defense," Warriors forward Draymond Green told NBA insider Chris Haynes on the "This League" podcast. "Quite frankly, I think it’s warranted in several ways.
"When you get to a space where we are -- where we’ve won four championships -- that gap between you and other guys continues to grow and grow. With that gap growing is also the experience, or lack thereof."
It's been an arduous season for the Warriors. Younger and more inexperienced players were thrust into coach Steve Kerr's rotation because two stars, Curry and Andrew Wiggins, missed a combined 71 games. Andre Iguodala, who returned for another season to be a vocal veteran leader, played just 113 total minutes.
"I think for us, where we’ve [defended a championship] four times, for the vast majority of our group this is the first time," Green told Haynes. "For instance, Jonathan Kuminga is defending his first championship. Jonathan Kuminga is also growing as a player and as an individual, learning how to play a role in the NBA. Learning the things that you need to do in consistent minutes, whereas he didn’t play consistent minutes last year."
Kuminga weaved in and out of the rotation earlier this season but seemed to find a groove late in the year. The 20-year-old played in the Warriors' final 13 games and registered 12.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting 46.7 percent from the field in that span.
RELATED: How Warriors could be vulnerable vs. Kings in playoff series
Kuminga likely played his way into the Warriors' playoff rotation with his world-class athleticism.
"There’s a learning curve that comes with that," Green told Haynes. "I think you’ve seen us be a product of that learning curve. By no means am I saying our season is Jonathan Kuminga’s fault. I hope no one takes it that way. But there’s a learning curve that comes with learning how to defend a championship, and we’ve experienced that a bit."
The Warriors successfully repeated as champions in 2018 by sweeping LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. The other two title defenses came up just short, with Finals losses to the Cavs (2016) and the Toronto Raptors (2019).
Golden State's regular-season struggles all will be forgotten if they bring the Larry O'Brien Trophy back to the Bay. That mission officially begins Saturday night in their first-round series opener against the Sacramento Kings.
