Green is still in charge of thriving Warriors defense
Though a few years removed from being named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year, Draymond Green is still the Warriors’ most important defensive player.
This was made clear when the Warriors were without Green, who was sidelined with foot and conditioning issues, for the first four games of the season. After those four games, the Warriors ranked 25th in the league with a defensive rating of 114.3. But with Green in the lineup, Golden State’s defensive rating has soared to 106.9 — sixthbest in the league during that stretch.
After holding the Spurs to 99 points on 37.2% shooting overall and 4-for33 from 3-point range Wednesday night in their most dominant defensive performance of the season, it’s clear the Warriors are well on their way to establishing themselves as a defensive-minded team.
“We were a mess without him,” said head coach Steve Kerr before Thursday night’s game against the New York Knicks. “It’s very obvious how much he changes our team.”
Green, 30, is not the athlete he once was. His steals and block numbers are at, or close to, career lows — an indicator of waning athleticism. After missing training camp because of a positive coronavirus test result, he is still working his way into playing shape.
“I don’t think Draymond is in his best shape yet,” Kerr said. “It’s really encouraging that he’s playing as well as he is. …
I think he can be even better.”
But over his nine seasons, he’s developed the wisdom, coupled with relentless effort, necessary to remain one of the most impactful defenders in the league.
“The brilliance of Draymond is the anticipation combined with the physical force that he brings to the table,” Kerr said. “Last night, there were three or four clips that were just amazing.”
Those clips against the Spurs did not include steals or blocks. Green didn’t have either in his 25 minutes. His most impressive box-score stat was his plus/minus of plus-24. That’s because of his uncanny ability to blow up opposing offenses by being in the right place at the right time — the right rotation, right close out, right time to double-team.
Warriors coaches also praise Green — who was the lone foundational player to toil through most of last season’s 15-50 conundrum— for his mentoring of rookie center James Wiseman and the direction he provides young forwards Kelly Oubre Jr. and Andrew Wiggins. Going forward, Green will need to continue to straddle the line between leader and player with the nuance with which he plays defense. Because if the Warriors are going to return to the postseason, they’ll need Green to not only be at his best, but also bring the best out of others.
“Draymond is recognizing how important he is to this team,” Kerr said. “He’s motivated, he’s excited, and it’s really showing in his play.”