Green has become Warriors’ solution
Draymond Green is a basketball genius, and after watching Game 3 of the Warriors’ firstround series with the Sacramento Kings at home, he came to a significant conclusion:
He had been the problem when the Warriors lost the series’ first two games. The Warriors’ offense looked better when Green watched the game on TV. There was more space on the floor for Steph Curry and Jordan Poole to work. The Warriors’ sets and rotations made more sense. And on the other side of the floor, where Green has built a Hall of Fame resume, the Warriors looked good, too — Kevon Looney and Andrew Wiggins formed a defensive combination with balance and poise.
It was only one game, but the Warriors were better off without Green. Pair that with his up-and-down play in last year’s NBA Finals and his preseason punch of Poole, and things were looking bleak for No. 23.
But with the problem diagnosed, Green went about fixing it.
He offered to open Game 4 on the bench. Warriors coach Steve Kerr agreed with that idea.
And then Green went into the practice gym, working on the things that would allow him to fit what the Warriors needed of him on offense.
The Warriors won Game 4, Green’s return, at home.
And Wednesday, with Green beginning the game on the bench again, they won Game 5 in Sacramento, putting them one win away from advancing to the second round of the postseason.
Green has gone from being a problem to being a solution.
It’s a winner’s move to swallow your pride and do what’s necessary to provide what your
team needs.
And if we’ve learned anything about Green over the last decade, it’s that he’s the ultimate winner.
The Warriors’ forward knew that to help his team win, he would have to re-invent himself as a two-way wing — playing on the perimeter on both sides of the court.
The Kings’ spaceand-pace was trouncing the Warriors when they played Green with Looney. It was a two-center lineup in a situation that only allowed for one. Putting two non-shooters on the floor for the Warriors, making defense easy for the Kings — one of the NBA’s worst defensive teams this season.
And with Looney thriving in this series and Green looking for footing, it was on the latter to change his game to fit the style of basketball the Warriors needed to play.
The defense isn’t an issue — Green is one of the greatest defenders in the sport’s history.