The Golden State Warriors played their best ball after Draymond Green was forced to leave the game on Saturday night.
Jimmy Butler made it clear that it wasn’t the case that Green held the team back when in the game.
“Hell nah, that ain’t the formula,” Butler told the media on Saturday night, after it was pointed out that Green’s lack of presence didn’t slow them down.
“No, no, no, no, no. We need 23 out there.”
The Warriors trailed the Utah Jazz in the second quarter when Green started arguing with referees.
After the forward picked up a second technical foul, Green was sent to the locker room with an ejection. The Warriors found a spark in the second half, put together an impressive comeback, and collected their 19th win of the year.
What changed?
“Nothing, we just got to figure out a way to win,” Butler added. “When you got a man down, you really gotta pick up everything and it’s hard to pick up what he does on both sides of the floor.”
Green has been one of the NBA’s top forwards for many years. He had a long stretch of being one of the NBA’s top defenders, and he still flashes elite play on that end of the floor. However, Butler wants to make it clear that Green brings a lot more than just being a defensive enforcer to the table.
“The IQ on both sides of the floor—especially the defensive—and Dray started off hot tonight. It’s so hard to do what he does, but it’s a collective effort when he’s not out there.”
Green left Saturday’s game with eight points on 3-4 shooting from the field. He checked in for 12 minutes. His early exit came after a night of rest against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
This season, Green has appeared in 29 games for the Warriors. He has been shooting 42 percent from the field, averaging 8.5 points per game. Along with his scoring, Green has come down with 5.9 rebounds and dished out 5.1 assists per game.
Golden State will be back on the court on Monday night to take on the Los Angeles Clippers. Green will get a shot at redemption as the Warriors search for their second win in a row.