Steve Kerr Explains Decision to Bench Draymond Green in 4th Quarter

Steve Kerr made a bold move in the fourth quarter of Game 4 and it paid off

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Steve Kerr had to make a choice.

As the Warriors trailed by four points with just over seven minutes to play in the fourth quarter of Game 4, Kerr decided to yank Draymond Green from the game. In what was a bold move to make, it wound up helping the Warriors win a tough road game and even the NBA Finals, 2-2.

"We took him out and put Looney in at the eight-minute mark maybe 7:40, which was out plan," Kerr said. "Looney was playing so well and Jordan Poole was playing so well so we just stayed with the group. 

To say Draymond Green hasn't played his best this NBA Finals is putting it lightly. He's averaging just 4.2 points per game this series while recording two turnovers per game and shooting an abysmal 23 percent from the field. 

While Green has stayed strong as a defensive catalyst and a floor general for Golden State, his offensive shortcoming forced Kerr's hand in a way.

Green did not like this move, per say. He reportedly walked off the court visibly upset as he walked to the bench.

Is Draymond coming out? He just walked off the bench and is not happy. Walking off the bench when Kerr goes to talk usually means the player is out of the game.

— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) June 11, 2022

"We generally do that, like most coaches," Kerr said. "If you've got a group that's going well, you just stay with it and the last few minutes, we just went to kind of an offense, defense pattern with Draymond and Jordan [Poole] alternating."

Green stayed on the floor for the final minute-and-a-half of the game as the Warriors ballooned their lead to double digits before the final buzzers sounded.

It will be interesting to see how the Warriors move forward with Green as the series progresses.