The Warriors were put to the test last night against the Pelicans. Unfortunately, playing without Stephen Curry, they had a terrible start to the game with a disappointing 14-point first quarter. And it looked like they would not be able to protect the home court. However, things took a surprising turn in the second half as they muscled a massive comeback and blew the visitors out by eighteen points. But what changed?

Well, Jonathan Kuminga and Gary Payton II revealed that Draymond Green’s halftime message to the team sparked the miraculous turnaround. Addressing the comeback after the sluggish start, GP II said, “Second half, Draymond challenged us, you know, to come out and hit them first.”

Yes, the former DPOY’s veteran experience helped the Warriors muster up the right strategy to close the deficit, “We can see in that second quarter what happens when we attack and be aggressive. Things started to shift our way.”

Sure enough, the Warriors were way more aggressive on defense in the second half and outscored the Pelicans by double-digits in both quarters. Moreover, Payton credited Green for the change by stating, “He knows this team very well and once we put pressure on them and make them make quick decisions, you know, bad things happen and good things tend to happen for us.”

Obviously, Draymond has faced the Pels multiple times in the postseason throughout his career and he knows their weaknesses.

Moreover, GP II was not the only player who credited Draymond as Jonathan Kuminga shared the same sentiment. “It all started with Draymond. Draymond came to the locker room, told all of us ‘They’re looking good right now, but once we put pressure, they’re all gonna fail.’ And that’s the same thing that happened,” he said.

That’s exactly why the Warriors offered him $100 million despite the constant drama surrounding him.

Steve Kerr claimed it is all “Part of the Package” with Draymond Green amid ejection scare

There is no denying Draymond is one of the most controversial players in the league. Despite multiple suspensions and ejections, he wears his emotions on his sleeve in every single game. And that could get his team in trouble sometimes. Something similar happened in the season opener when he was penalized with a tech in the very first game for chirping at the officials. Thankfully, Steve Kerr called a timeout before the situation escalated.

But the head coach defended Draymond after the game, “You can’t have it all. You can’t ask Draymond to play with this amazing passion and energy and effort and tell him ‘No. No. You have to tone down the emotion.’ It’s all part of the package.”

Yes, his passion makes him great and has won four championships. We saw the vocal leader he is for the Warriors by bailing them out of demanding situations countless times. Sure enough, we got a glimpse of it last night as his high-IQ motivational words led them to a crucial blowout win. Plus the passing too with Steph out injured.

Just goes to show how important Draymond is for the team’s success.