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Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors
There is much to be worried about for the Golden State Warriors as the NBA’s stretch run lands upon us. Kristaps Porzingis and his mystery ailment are lingering, and at the same time, Stephen Curry remains out with a kneecap injury, also known as runner’s knee. Curry said during the Lakers‘ blowout win over the Warriors on Saturday that the knee is, “going to be a little longer” before he gets back on the floor.
The one guy known commodity they have had on the floor is forward Draymond Green, and while that is comforting on one level, the fact is, Green’s decline has been precipitous, and is really showing itself this year. Green will be 36 years old in a few days, and while he has made a career out of being a good complement to Curry, his struggles when Curry is not on the floor have become too glaringly obvious lately.
Since Curry has been out, Green is averaging 8.6 points and shooting just 37.9% from the field and 30.7% from the 3-point line. There is a growing consensus that Green ought to be playing off the bench off the bench for the Warriors, who are among the worst offensive teams in the league in the first quarter.
NBA Coach: Hard to Mask Draymond Green Struggles
One Western Conference NBA assistant coach said of the Warriors’ opening lineups: “They struggle because other than Steph (Curry), there is no one you really, really respect as a shooter. And as long as that is the case, it becomes very easy to defend them as a team. With Draymond, you know, you used to have to at least put a body on him because he was athletic enough to put it on the floor and get inside your defense, or he could knock down the 3.
“Watch them now, and he is getting left wide open, 10, 12 feet. And he is still at (31.7%) shooting from outside. With Steph you can mask that a little bit. But without him, you’ve got to have him on the bench.”
The coach made the point that it would probably be wise to have Green on the bench even when Curry is playing. But the Warriors have gone a month without Curry, and it has been even clearer that a change must be made by coach Steve Kerr.
Warriors Better With Green on the Bench
The Warriors are, no doubt, putting together lineups with chicken wire and bubble gum lately. Curry is out, Green is struggling, Jimmy Butler has been lost for the year with an ACL tear and trade-deadline acquisition Kristaps Porzingis is out with a mystery illness. The Warriors are missing their star players.
But putting Green on the floor with the second wave of Warriors players is pointless. The team is much better with Quinten Post and Al Horford at center, and Gui Santos at the 4 (or Horford in a double-big setup), with Green running with the second unit.
In the end, that might be the best setup even when Curry is healthy. Kerr has said he does not want to move Green to the bench, but logic might dictate otherwise.
“That’s a team that needs to do something radical in the last few weeks (of the season),” the coach said. “I understand the loyalty to Green. But you’ve got to throw it over and do what’s best for the team.”
Sean Deveney is a veteran sports reporter covering the NBA, NFL and MLB for Heavy.com. He has written for Heavy since 2019 and has more than two decades of experience covering the NBA, including 17 years as the lead NBA reporter for the Sporting News. Deveney is the author of 7 nonfiction books, including “Fun City,” “Before Wrigley became Wrigley,” and “Facing Michael Jordan.” More about Sean Deveney
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