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Draymond Green has been pointed out as the catalyst of why Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors in 2016. According to Green during an interview on Paul George's podcast, the arrival of KD had its pros and cons.
Durant joining the Warriors was indeed a polarizing move by a superstar. The power marriage resulted in two championships and three finals appearances from 2016-19.
Along with success, Draymond Green said that he personally sacrificed his personal development and it resulted in an image that he doesn't want to project:
"We have our success, then KD comes, my individual game as far as scoring and shooting suffered because then that became so much of what they wanted me to do. The shooting wasn't a priority at all. ...
"I started being called and viewed as a non-shooter, when in fact, I shot 37% from 3 like no one was just helping off of me. But then I started being like spoke to and viewed as a non-shooter just because I was doing so much to get those guys involved."
Green continued:
"I lost my confidence and so I lost my confidence in my shot. And, you know, I'm trying to get K involved, I'm trying to get Steph, I'm trying to get Klay involved. In my mind, I'm thinking, like, 'Man, Steph came down and hoisted three crazy shots and because he did Klay just came down and hoisted one from half court and next time, he came down and hoisted one from the other side of half court.'
"It had a negative impact as well because it, you know, I lost all confidence."
Prior to the arrival of Durant in Golden State, Green averaged an above-average 38.8% from beyond the 3-point line in 2015-16. That mark slipped down to just 28.5% in 2018-19, Durant's final year with the team.
The media branded the four-time champion as a non-shooting threat, and it got to his head.
Watch Draymond Green's full interview with Paul George:
Draymond Green sees Chris Paul impacting Jonathan Kuminga's game
The Golden State Warriors made a big splash to start the offseason by trading for Chris Paul. The veteran point guard's exemplary basketball IQ is seen by Draymond Green as a huge addition that will result in the team getting better stability, whether as a starter or coming from the bench.
More intriguing is how Draymond Green envisions Paul unlocking the potential of Jonathan Kuminga, citing the example of Deandre Ayton in Phoenix.
"I think Chris Paul will completely unlock Jonathan Kuminga in his growth," said Green. "CP is great with young guys. Deandre Ayton looked like a bust before CP came to Phoenix. No disrespect to Ayton and more so not to CP.
"People didn't know what Deandre Ayton was going to turn out to be. CP went there and all of a sudden Deandre Ayton became an All-Star level player. So what I think what he would do for Jonathan Kuminga and unlocking Kuminga is huge. And I look forward to learning that from him."
Kuminga was drafted by the Warriors as the seventh pick in 2021. In his two years in the NBA, he averaged 9.6 points in 18.8 minutes of playing time.
