Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green says he's eager to be "the dark horse" once more.
The Warriors lost Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala this late spring and will be without Klay Thompson for most of next season as he recuperates from an ACL tear.
Accordingly, without precedent for years, the Warriors aren't the top choices to win the title in 2019-20. Some even trust Golden State will battle to make the playoffs in the rough Western Conference.
Green is anticipating playing with that dark horse chip again and refuting the Warriors' skeptics.
"I like it. You know, being the dark horse. It's been some time since we been the dark horse," Green told Rachel Nichols of ESPN. "Be that as it may, it brings that longshot chip back, and I miss that chip. I'm almost certain Steph [Curry] missed that chip, and a portion of the stuff Klay been messaging me this late spring, I'm sure he misses the chip."So to the oddsmakers, much appreciated. You got me where I am today. I anticipate where they take me once more."
The Warriors' new Big 3 is Stephen Curry, D'Angelo Russell and Draymond Green. The three All-Stars will be entrusted to keep Golden State above water in the West while Thompson recoveries his knee.
It's difficult to imagine the Warriors missing the playoffs. All things considered, they have the best shooter in NBA history in Curry driving their offense, a previous Defensive Player of the Year in Green mooring the guard and a youthful All-Star in Russell who is persuaded to demonstrate that last season wasn't an accident.
The Warriors likely won't be at the highest point of the Western Conference standings next season, however despite everything they will be an extreme group to manage on a daily premise.