Draymond Green: Heart of the Warriors

Draymond Green doesn’t like the Los Angeles Clippers.

Or, at least that’s what it seems like every time the two California rivals match up. We all know that Draymond brings it every time he’s on the floor, but he played with a visible grudge on Wednesday night, looking to seek revenge against the team that knocked Golden State out of the playoffs last season. Draymond channeled his Game 7 shooting, hitting 4 three-pointers and scoring a career high 24 points while pulling down 8 rebounds and dishing out 5 assists.

He also was Blake Griffin‘s primary defender for the night, holding him to 14 points and one lone rebound. Griffin wasn’t able to get it going all night, settling for jumpers and hesitating to bang inside due to Green’s pesky defense and the threat of double teams. With his performance, Green has proved once again that he is a key component during Warriors’ wins.

While replacing the injured David Lee in the starting lineup this season, Draymond is stuffing the stat sheet. He is currently off to a hot start, averaging 12.5 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 50% from beyond the arc this season. His impact goes beyond the numbers, however. He is the perennial jack-of-all-trades player. While he may commit silly turnovers or fouls from time to time, he has displayed extensive basketball IQ. He frequently makes great decisions whether it be making the extra pass, taking a charge, boxing out correctly, or setting a hard screen. He has also shown tremendous improvement on his jumpshot. He shot just 20.9% from three-point range his rookie year, but improved to 33% his sophomore year. Despite a small sample size, his current 50% three-point shooting this season is no fluke; it is the result of hard work and tenacity. While his shooting percentages will most likely drop, his confidence certainly won’t.

Draymond also isn’t afraid to guard any player. His 7’1″ wingspan and lateral quickness make him a nightmare matchup for almost everyone. He has shown the ability to guard quick point guards and even larger power forwards. His long arms and physical strength make it hard for bigger players to easily shoot over him or back him down. Draymond may not be able to completely stop players like LaMarcus Aldridge, but he has shown that he can bother and somewhat contain them. While switching on screens, he also has no problem guarding the smaller man. His foot speed allows him to recover and contest shots in time. He simply needs to work on not committing unnecessary fouls due to emotions getting the best of him.

With Lee out again due to his re-aggravated hamstring,  Draymond will remain the starting power forward. Kerr has expressed his delight for Draymond’s recent performance.

“We’re 4-0 and Draymond’s starting, he’s playing well, so I’ll keep starting him,” Kerr said. “David unfortunately tweaked his hamstring again. And I loved what I saw out of David. You know, he comes in, immediately makes an impact. And I think when he’s fully healthy, he and Draymond form the perfect combination, regardless of who starts and who comes off the bench.”

It will be interesting to see who Kerr ultimately decides to start. Both Lee and Green have shown they can make huge impacts off the bench so Kerr may have some fun experimenting with his rotations.

He leaves everything on the court every time he steps on and displays a passion like no other.

With Klay’s magnificent performances and Kerr’s coaching ability being huge stories surrounding the Warriors recently, it becomes easy to overlook another gem on this surging Golden State team. Draymond Green has shown consistent development year after year and it’s exciting to witness him surpass all expectations. He leaves everything on the court every time he steps on and displays a passion like no other. He may not possess the offensive firepower of the Splash Brothers or the athleticism of Andre Iguodala, but he does everything right on the court.

While Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Iguodala, Lee and Andrew Bogut can be considered the main core of the Warriors, Draymond is certainly the heart of this team. He never fails to fire up the team and the crowd after a made basket or important defensive stop. Since Klay is already locked down for the next four years, Draymond has become the next player that the front office needs to do everything in their power to keep.