OAKLAND -- David Lee broke it down simply. Lee told second-year forward Draymond Green he wasn't doing his job if Harrison Barnes, Andre Iguodala, Marreese Speights and even Lee himself weren't mad at him.

Green's response? Duh.

"That was already my plan anyway," Green said, flashing his bright, devious smile. "So I didn't need him to tell me."

Saturday, he'll get under the skin of different players. The Warriors kick off the exhibition season against the Los Angeles Lakers in Ontario. Green figures to get significant minutes, as coach Mark Jackson said he will limit Lee, Stephen Curry, Andrew Bogut, Iguodala and Jermaine O'Neal to 24 minutes.

Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green (23) celebrates against the Denver Nuggets in the fourth quarter of Game 4 of their first-round NBA basketball playoff series on Sunday, April 28, 2013 in Oakland, Calif. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

If Green has something to say about it, the Warriors won't have a problem with complacency. Whatever success they have won't soften them. Because as soon as they get to practice, they will have to deal with Green. He's loud. He's tough. He's versatile in his skill. Most important, he relishes the role of providing the checks and balances on the court.

"I don't care who you are or what you do, I'm going to go at you," he said after Friday's practice. "You may have had 30 yesterday. But you come into practice today, and I'm getting after you."


His playoff performance didn't hurt either.


That's why you saw him, barely a sip into his career, jawing at LeBron James last season. That's why he was able to make big plays in the postseason and trade barbs with Denver coach George Karl.

Green is already a star. The rest of you just need to be made aware. And those who said he wasn't athletic enough to thrive at Michigan State, that his shooting wasn't good enough to make it in the pros, they're going to hear a little bit after he shows you.

But what makes Green effective is his last laugh in victory. Winning is what he does, who he is. You might jump higher, run faster, shoot better, dribble more smoothly, play more gracefully. But Green measures his success in wins.

"I've always been that way," Green said. "I feel like I can play with anyone. But at the end of the day, I'm not an idiot. You have to know your role. That's one of the reasons you see some guys who are really good, but they end up out of the league real quick -- because they can't play a role. ... At the end of the day, its about contributing and doing whatever I can to help the team win."

Green conceded it can be tough to balance the feeling that you're just as good as the guy ahead of you with your desire to excel at your given role. But the ability to balance them is why his teammates and coaches love him.

Green already knows he won't get big minutes or a lot of shots, so he upholds his reputation for winning in the little things. But when he does get the big minutes or the big shots, he produces, because he already feels as if that's where he belongs.

He didn't work on his jumper all summer, get in the best shape of his life just to play 13 minutes per game. He did it so he can take the NBA by storm. If that means playing defense, rebounding and destroying the starters in practice so they can be ready, so be it.

  • Jackson wouldn't reveal his starters for Saturday. He cautioned not to read too much into who starts, as it won't necessarily be the opening night lineup.

    The Warriors have all five starters from last year -- Curry, Lee, Bogut, Klay Thompson and Barnes -- and added Iguodala.