Draymond Green says his suspension was a blessing in disguise for Warriors

The Warriors have been looking like the team we've come to expect them to be of late, winning five games in a row and eight of their last 12. The resurgence began when Draymond Green returned from suspension on Jan. 15, following which the Dubs' defensive rating has improved drastically.

While Green's return is the common denominator in Golden State's mid-season turnaround, the defensive ace does not view it that way. If anything, Green believes his extended time away from the team helped coach Steve Kerr figure out rotations and empower the likes of Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski to take larger roles.

"Honestly, I think me getting suspended helped, in a weird way," Green said, via The Athletic. "Because JK’s taken off. That has kind of set the stage for our team. Bona fide No. 2 option on our team. Now you got different things we can go to. Our offense don’t look the exact same like it used to look. You’re able to find different combinations that worked.

"Not that I wanted to get suspended or that was good or anything like that," Green continued. "But I do think it kind of helped us find different things we can go to and explore. Now you add me back to the fray, add (Gary Payton II) back from injury, (Chris Paul) will be coming back."