Green’s work paying off as he, too, makes a splash
SALT LAKE CITY — Over the past four Warriors seasons, Travis Walton has watched each of Draymond Green’s 3,324 shots at least several times.
Those numerous hours of video have only strengthened Walton’s belief that, in addition to being one of the NBA’s top defenders, Green is an elite shooter. Because when the All-Star forward sets his feet properly and follows through on his release, he tends to make his jumpers.
“Draymond knows who he is as a player,” said Walton, Green’s personal trainer since the summer of 2013. “His first objective on the court is to defend and bring energy. But
when he’s able to make shots, it opens everything else.”
Hardly known as a longrange marksman, Green has been a revelation from beyond the arc through six playoff games. His 54.5-percent clip (18-for-33) from deep is the highest of any NBA player who has attempted at least 20 threepointers this postseason. Green tied a season high with five made three-pointers — all in the first half — in Thursday night’s Game 2 win over Utah in the Western Conference semifinals.
Such torrid shooting is rooted in more than wide-open looks. Walton has worked daily with Green on his long-range technique in the four-plus weeks since finishing his final season as an assistant coach with the Salt Lake City Stars, the Jazz’s Development League affiliate.
The two arrive at the gym around 8 a.m. to work through goal-oriented shooting drills. One of the league’s most notorious competitors, Green must make 10 of 14 three-pointers to move to the next spot along the arc. The focus has been on the shots he is most apt to see in games. Because only 15 of Green’s 263 attempts in the regular season came from the corners, he primarily practices shots from the wings or the top of the arc.
“The looks that he’s getting, they’re coming at the right time and they’re coming in the right way — not only for him, but for our offense,” acting head coach Mike Brown said. “We want him to keep shooting, especially with as hard as he works on it.”
Though long-range shooting probably won’t figure into his legacy, Green has long prided himself on his ability to hit open three-pointers. This is a player who, as a senior at Michigan State, shot 38.8 percent from beyond the arc.
Four years ago, after making 20.9 percent of this three-point attempts as a rookie, Green phoned Walton for assistance. Walton flew to Oakland and, for three months, shepherded his longtime friend through a workout regimen aimed at filling the holes of Green’s game. Three-point shooting was near the top of the list.
That summer gantlet became an annual tradition, with Walton spending off-seasons in a spare room of Green’s Bay Area home. The arrangement was a driving force behind Green’s rise from seldom-used reserve to indispensable playmaker. In addition to recording a franchise-record 13 triple-doubles last season, Green shot a career-best 38.8 percent from three-point range.
The signing last summer of Kevin Durant significantly altered Golden State’s offensive dynamics. Not needed for as much scoring, Green took several months to decipher when and where to shoot. Toward the end of the regular season, when he finally began to feel comfortable looking for his shot, Green consistently watched his three-pointers rim out.
In early April, after moving back into Green’s house, Walton told him not to fret. Because opposing defenses are so concerned with limiting Durant, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Green is routinely left wide open along the perimeter. Now, with Green feasting from deep, teams face a conundrum: Do they give him more attention at the risk of leaving Durant, Curry or Thompson open?
“I feel particularly open in every game we play,” Green said when asked after Game 2 if he thought Utah wanted him to take open three-pointers. “So, yeah, I do. Pretty strong statement, particularly open, and that probably won't change.”
Green is so prized as a facilitator and defender that he was named an All-Star in July despite averaging only 10.2 points per game. In the playoffs, he has upped his scoring average to 15.5 without sacrificing the other aspects of his game.
It is yet another feel-good development for a team peaking when it matters most. But while pundits laud Green for his resurgence beyond the arc, Walton merely sees the shooter he long knew Green could become.
“He’s always had it in him,” Walton said. “The biggest thing right now is that he’s finally just letting the ball go.”
“We want him to keep shooting, especially with as hard as he works on it.” Acting head coach Mike Brown