Draymond Green & Domantas Sabonis Singled Out Before Warriors-Kings Series

Getty Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors and Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings.

As the Golden State Warriors get set for another NBA Playoffs run, they shouldn’t feel as comfortable as last season. They took a major step back this year, dealing with major issues winning on the road and losing their top-notch bench depth from last year.

They drew the Sacramento Kings in the first round of the playoffs, who will be playing in the postseason for the first time in 16 years. Heading into the series, Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report labeled the face-off of Draymond Green and Domantas Sabonis as the key matchup.

Swartz wrote the following on April 15:

While Stephen Curry and De’Aaron Fox should provide most of the individual scoring here, the matchup of the two bigs will truly be the one to watch.

Two of the best passing big men in the NBA, both Sabonis and Green will be nightly triple-double threats who can control a game with their ball movement, screening and rebounding alone. Add in Sabonis’ three-level scoring and Green’s defense and we’ll see some terrific basketball being played inside the arc throughout the series.

Green has established himself as one of the greatest defenders of all time, leading the Warriors on that end of the court for the past decade and bringing home a Defensive Player of the Year trophy in the process.

Meanwhile, Sabonis has helped transform the Kings’ offense this season alongside Fox. His post play and playmaking abilities make him a very tough cover.

Mike Brown Calls Out Steph Crry & Draymond Green

Mike Brown on all of the positive words the Warriors have heaped on him over the last fee days, “It’s a set up, they want to kick my ass.” pic.twitter.com/95FvLOi6Fw

— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) April 14, 2023

The Warriors might have a little extra juice heading into this series, too. While they don’t necessarily have a rivalry with the Kings, the two teams play in the same division, and Sacramento head coach Mike Brown was an assistant for Golden State last year.

When asked about the matchup, Brown said that Curry and Green are out to get him and likely have some extra motivation to take him down.

“It’s a setup. They wanna kick my ass, trust me,” Brown said via James Ham of Kings Beat, laughing heartily. “I’ve been around them enough. It’s a setup. Don’t fall for it, and I’m not falling for it either. Screw you guys until this is over.”

Steve Kerr Shows Love to Jonathan Kuminga PlayKERR: Wiggins “ready to go…otoh he hasn’t played in 10 wks”; Kuminga “on-ball defense…taken a leap”MORE KERR Q&As: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszalip37vKLy42Zj_1DPRLmJ48RVApSa … MORE WIGGINS ANALYSIS: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszalip37vKJWg6ztILRDXaKO-INzSmDo … MORE KUMINGA ANALYSIS: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLszalip37vKJge8J9T7u3afpgPrKoe6KR … MORE PLAYLISTS: youtube.com/letsgowarriors/playlists WHERE WE KEEP ALL QUOTES: LetsGoWarriors.com QUOTES/NOTES/TOPICS: • Steve Kerr after Warriors practice Thursday, on Andrew Wiggins’ status for Saturday: Much lighter day today for the Warriors, “A lot of halfcourt stuff, but no scrimmage today. Andrew…2023-04-14T00:59:40Z

One player who has been crucial to the Warriors’ success this year has been Jonathan Kuminga. The second-year forward has had to step up into a larger role, and as the season went on, he steadily improved. Head coach Steve Kerr showed love to the youngster, praising his development.

“I think he’s doing great,  given that he started playing basketball late in his life, relatively speaking, and this is just his second year in the league playing on a championship team, with a lot of expectations,” Kerr said via the LetsGoWarriors YouTube channel. “That’s not easy. So, I think he’s handled everything really well. A lot of ups and downs. But the improvement has been consistent, and that’s the main thing. He continues to work, he continues to get better, and I think he’ll be dramatically better a couple of years from now. But where he is now, as somebody who can help us win, he’s an important part of our team.”