When Draymond Green entered the Warriors locker room in 2012, Stephen Curry wasn’t the guy you’d look to for a motivational speech. He was quiet, recovering from ankle injuries, and laser-focused on his shooting. But more than a decade later, Green says Curry has become the voice of the team in ways nobody expected. That transformation didn’t happen overnight—it happened in moments, big and small, that changed the way his teammates see him.
Stephen Curry's transformation from quiet shooter to strong leader of the Golden State Warriors
Back in those early Warriors years, Draymond Green was the vocal one—the energy, the defensive force. Stephen Curry? He led mostly with his game.
“Not at all. We were just such polar opposites,” Green said recently, describing their early dynamic. “I was brash and in-your-face. He was calm, more calculated.” But over time, those differences made their partnership stronger.
That shift was especially clear in 2018. During a tense stretch of the season, Green had a heated moment with then-teammate Kevin Durant . Before the next game, Curry showed up at Green’s house to talk it out.
“Just to know I’m going to come sit here with you for two hours,” Green recalled, “and we’re going to talk through this, figure out what happens next. I’m going to tell you how I feel, you tell me how you feel, and we’ll go from there.” That quiet gesture stuck with him, not just as something a teammate would do, but as a real sign of friendship.
Jump ahead to April 2025 at the FedExForum in Memphis. The Warriors were in a must-win situation during the NBA Play-In Tournament against the Grizzlies. With just minutes to go, Green took a corner three that he instantly regretted. What happened next told him just how much Curry had changed.
“When I shot that three in the corner, Steph very nicely told me it wasn’t time for me to shoot,” Green told reporters after their 121–116 win. “He came over to me saying, ‘Hey man, we’ve got to get into a certain action we like to run.’ And I was like, ‘All right, no problem.’”
Later that week, during ‘The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis’, he shared the full story with Davis. “Steph would never say, ‘Don’t shoot,’ but that’s how I heard it,” Green said, laughing. “Pretty much what he was saying was, ‘Get the ball in the same spot, but give it to me instead.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, say no more.’”
They ran the play again. Green passed. Curry nailed the shot. But it wasn’t just about three points—it was about years of growth, trust, and knowing when to step up.
“Obviously, the shot-making… all of that stuff is incredible,” Green said. “But it’s that growth right there I appreciate the most because it encompasses his voice.”
Five or seven years ago, Green said, Curry would’ve stayed quiet in that moment. “He wouldn’t have said nothing,” he admitted. “But that’s no longer the case.”
Stephen Curry didn’t change who he is to lead—he just grew into it. And for Draymond Green, that growth is what stands out the most. “He didn’t always have that voice. That’s something he grew into,” Green said.
Also Read: “ He’s our leader, and we must protect him”: Jimmy Butler urges Golden State Warriors to step up for Stephen Curry amid playoff push
Now, as the Warriors gear up to face Houston in the first round of the Playoffs, their strength isn’t just in their talent. It’s in the steady leadership they’ve come to trust. Now, when Curry speaks even gently, the Warriors listen.
Stephen Curry's transformation from quiet shooter to strong leader of the Golden State Warriors
Back in those early Warriors years, Draymond Green was the vocal one—the energy, the defensive force. Stephen Curry? He led mostly with his game.
“Not at all. We were just such polar opposites,” Green said recently, describing their early dynamic. “I was brash and in-your-face. He was calm, more calculated.” But over time, those differences made their partnership stronger.
That shift was especially clear in 2018. During a tense stretch of the season, Green had a heated moment with then-teammate Kevin Durant . Before the next game, Curry showed up at Green’s house to talk it out.
“Just to know I’m going to come sit here with you for two hours,” Green recalled, “and we’re going to talk through this, figure out what happens next. I’m going to tell you how I feel, you tell me how you feel, and we’ll go from there.” That quiet gesture stuck with him, not just as something a teammate would do, but as a real sign of friendship.
Jump ahead to April 2025 at the FedExForum in Memphis. The Warriors were in a must-win situation during the NBA Play-In Tournament against the Grizzlies. With just minutes to go, Green took a corner three that he instantly regretted. What happened next told him just how much Curry had changed.
"I don't want you to take the shot, I want you to get me the ball to take the shot"@Money23Green on what Steph told him in crunch time vs Memphis pic.twitter.com/m0OwgIj09d
— The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis (@DraymondShow) April 18, 2025
“When I shot that three in the corner, Steph very nicely told me it wasn’t time for me to shoot,” Green told reporters after their 121–116 win. “He came over to me saying, ‘Hey man, we’ve got to get into a certain action we like to run.’ And I was like, ‘All right, no problem.’”
Later that week, during ‘The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis’, he shared the full story with Davis. “Steph would never say, ‘Don’t shoot,’ but that’s how I heard it,” Green said, laughing. “Pretty much what he was saying was, ‘Get the ball in the same spot, but give it to me instead.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, say no more.’”
They ran the play again. Green passed. Curry nailed the shot. But it wasn’t just about three points—it was about years of growth, trust, and knowing when to step up.
“Obviously, the shot-making… all of that stuff is incredible,” Green said. “But it’s that growth right there I appreciate the most because it encompasses his voice.”
Five or seven years ago, Green said, Curry would’ve stayed quiet in that moment. “He wouldn’t have said nothing,” he admitted. “But that’s no longer the case.”
Stephen Curry didn’t change who he is to lead—he just grew into it. And for Draymond Green, that growth is what stands out the most. “He didn’t always have that voice. That’s something he grew into,” Green said.
Also Read: “ He’s our leader, and we must protect him”: Jimmy Butler urges Golden State Warriors to step up for Stephen Curry amid playoff push
Now, as the Warriors gear up to face Houston in the first round of the Playoffs, their strength isn’t just in their talent. It’s in the steady leadership they’ve come to trust. Now, when Curry speaks even gently, the Warriors listen.
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