Warriors' Draymond Green rips team for defensive struggles

Draymond Green has never shied away from speaking his mind. So, it came as no surprise when he gave a brutally honest assessment of the Golden State Warriors' defensive effort in their loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, Nov. 26.

The four-time champion pulled no punches as he broke down why the Warriors struggled to contain Ime Udoka's team. Green's comments came during his postgame news conference, and they also fit the tone coming from both Brandin Podziemski and Jimmy Butler, who had also pinpointed defensive lapses as a key cause of the team's recent struggles.

"Our defense is s--t," Green said. "Because it's not necessarily the numbers. Like, how do you feel when you're out there, you know? And if it's just letdown after letdown, It's bigger than the numbers, you know what I'm saying? Defense is about demeanor. First letdown after letdown, and it kills your demeanor. It kills your bravado. Then you're just a soft team. It's bigger than a number. What does the other team feel when you're defending it? Right now, they don't feel any force. So, even if you're getting stops like 'Yeah, we got great coaches, we're gonna have a good scheme,' But what about the force? We don't have that."

Green's comments make perfect sense. On paper, the Warriors are a top-10 defensive team in the NBA. However, when you're watching the games, it's clear that there are some underlying issues that need to be addressed. If three players are all saying similar things after the game, then clearly there's a problem with the defensive execution.

The Warriors are back in action on Saturday, Nov. 29, when they will face the 3-16 New Orleans Pelicans. They will likely be without Stephen Curry. Nevertheless, the Pelicans game has come at the perfect time, as it should help Golden State secure a bounce-back win, which in turn could be a platform to build on.

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This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Draymond Green rips team for defensive struggles