Steve Kerr stood up for Draymond Green publicly and unprompted on Wednesday night, telling reporters after Golden State's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers that the four-time NBA champion has been carrying an exceptionally heavy load through one of the more brutal injury stretches of the Warriors' season.
"Yeah, I mean, I'm really proud of him," Kerr said when asked about Green's performance. "This is not an easy position to be in. He's such a proud guy. So many guys have been injured and out, and he's really carried a heavy burden."
Green, 36, is the longest-tenured Warrior outside of Stephen Curry and remains the team's defensive nerve centre. With Golden State's depth chart torn up by injury, his minutes, defensive responsibilities and on-ball workload have all spiked — a load that Kerr suggested has not been adequately appreciated outside the building.
The defeat itself came down to Cleveland's late-game execution, which Kerr broke down in unusual detail. He singled out two specific possessions involving Cavaliers wing Max Strus and former MVP James Harden as the difference between a road win and a tough loss.
"Well, the first one, it looked like we over-rotated to start the play and they got the ball behind us and we were scrambling," Kerr explained. "And the second one, BP came over to double Harden and he just" — Kerr letting the rest of the breakdown speak for itself.
The Warriors have been leaning heavily on Brazilian forward Gui Santos through this stretch, and Kerr made a point of crediting his battling performance.
"Gui was great. He really battled," Kerr said. "He made a lot of plays for us. Obviously, scoring 25 points — and it looked he didn't look quite 100 per cent. I could see him moving a little." Kerr added that Santos' ability to get the ball into the paint sets him apart on the current roster: "He's playing really well. He gets the ball into the paint probably better than anybody we have. His ability to make quick moves off the dribble, get it in there..."
Not every Warrior earned praise. Kerr was candid about the offensive struggles of De'Anthony Melton, currently working his way through a shooting slump.
"Yeah, well, he's a little bit out of rhythm offensively. I think that's obvious," Kerr said. "His shots aren't falling right now. We know what he's capable of."
The loss featured a tense fourth-quarter sequence with technical fouls and a flagrant. Kerr chose not to dwell on it.
"It got a little heated there for a bit, but our team handled it well. I think we took the lead after that and had our chances, but I don't think that stretch won or lost the game," he said.
The bigger picture for Golden State is the wear-and-tear question. With Green absorbing the heavy interior defensive workload, Curry leading the offense, and a rotating cast of role players forced into expanded roles, the Warriors are managing as best they can — and Kerr's public acknowledgment of Green's leadership is, internally, an important note.
"He's such a proud guy," Kerr repeated. "So many guys have been injured."
That, more than the late-game over-rotation against Cleveland, is the storyline the Warriors will carry into their final regular-season stretch — and into the postseason that follows.
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*Originally published on [NBA News Global](https://nbanews.global/article/steve-kerr-draymond-green-heavy-burden-warriors-injury-crisis-2026). Visit for full coverage.*
