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Draymond, Warriors adjusting to 'lack of familiarity'

Jesse D. Garrabrant / National Basketball Association / Getty

After years of continuity, the Golden State Warriors have entered some uncharted waters.

Kevin Durant and D'Angelo Russell swapped addresses in a sign-and-trade deal with the Brooklyn Nets during the offseason while veterans Andre Iguodala and Shaun Livingston are also no longer with the club.

For Warriors mainstay Draymond Green, the changes have been quite noticeable during the early days of training camp.

"Just the lack of familiarity," Green told reporters, including ESPN's Nick Friedell. "You get used to a certain thing for so long, and then it's not that. The normal reads that you would make, just kind of second nature, you got to make sure they're there.

"It's just a lot more making sure everyone's on the same page, or getting there. Everybody's not on the same page, which is to be expected, so just getting everybody there is the difference."

With so many fresh faces and All-Star guard Klay Thompson out until at least the All-Star break, Green knows that he'll be one of the players leaned upon, and is embracing a mentorship role.

"It's reps," Green said. "Just kind of getting those reps. Figuring guys out, getting to know each other. That's a huge part of basketball, too, getting to know each other. ... That will come with time. It's no tough love right now. You figure that stuff out as time goes on.

"But none of us really know each other, except a few. So you can't give a guy you don't know tough love, that's fake as hell. If you're going to give somebody tough love, you don't even know if you love that person or not yet. So you can't give somebody tough love at this point, you just got to teach 'em."

Golden State reached its fifth consecutive NBA Finals last season but was denied a three-peat by the Toronto Raptors.

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