Where Is Draymond Green?

By Ben Pickman | Jun 10, 2015

After 82 games in which he dominated on the defensive end of the floor, Draymond Green seemed like the favorite to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. But then he didn’t. And after playing a mere 64 games, San Antonio Spurs small forward and 2014 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard snatched it away from him.

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Fast-forward six weeks and it appears that Draymond Green himself has gone missing.

The missing man is 6 foot 7 inches tall, a tree trunk 230 pounds, very loquacious, and very active on both ends of the floor.

He has been missing all finals, but last night his absence was really felt.

Draymond Green had a Warriors team low -14 plus/minus last night. Simply put, they struggled to score when he was on the floor and they struggled getting stops when he was on the floor.

Let’s start with his offense. For the first time all season, Draymond Green looked like rookie year Draymond Green; he was sheepish when it came to shoot three pointers. During Draymond’s rookie season, he shot a dreadful 21 percent from three, and knowing full well he was a woeful three point shooter attempted a mere 67 threes. Last year, he took 165 (shooting 33 percent) and this year he almost doubled that attempts total, shooting 329 and shooting 34 percent on them.

This series, not only has he stopped making them, he has not even been taking them. He made a mere 8 shots from long range and is shooting 26 percent on them. Green took four three pointers last night, but it was the three pointers he didn’t take and should have, that were the big problem.

Jun 9, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts to a play during the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers in game three of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Green has been hesitant to shoot three pointers. Late in the fourth quarter during the Warriors big comeback, Green passed up a wide open three pointer that would have given the Warriors the lead and instead passed it to Harrison Barnes, who himself passed up an open three, passing the ball to Stephen Curry whose shot was quickly defended by LeBron James.

Late in the fourth quarter with under two minutes remaining, Stephen Curry threw what appeared to be a lazy behind the back pass to Draymond Green. Green had rolled after setting a pick instead of popping. Curry in his postgame press conference admitted that he was not as fundamentally sound as he should have been on that pass, but by the same token, he assumed Green was going to pop and take an open three point and not roll.

All season long when opposing teams trap a Curry-Green high pick-and-roll, Curry dishes it out to Green, who would then recognize that for a brief period of time, the Warriors are playing four on three. During the regular season, Green did a fabulous job playmaking in these situations, but in this series, he has struggled.

Not only is he not shooting threes well, but the Cavs are allowing him to drive to the rim. And when he does he hasn’t fared much better. Green has tried to drive right at Timofey Mozgov, the Cavs seven foot center, but on multiple occasions last night, Green was blocked and stifled by Mozgov’s strength and ability to stay vertical when contensting shots. He has struggled finishing over Mozgov and Tristan Thompson for that matter’s size.

This is not the first time Green has struggled playing against bigger players this postseason. In game three of the Western Conference semi-finals against the Memphis Grizzlies, Green was 1-of-8 from the field for six points and a game high five turnovers. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph threw him fits and the only way he responded was by continuing to throw the ball away.

In this series Tristan Thompson is throwing him fits. And all he does to answer is pick up cheap fouls as a result of being lazy.

Jun 9, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) passes the ball against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) in game three of the NBA Finals. at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Larry W. Smith-Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports

Statistically coming into this series, Green was actually a better offensive rebounder than Tristan Thompson, but in this matchup of two of the most un-traditional power forwards in the league, Thompson has completely overmatched Green with his size and more importantly his energy.

Green seemed dejected and frustrated many times last night. But more than anything else he seemed flustered. The entire Warriors team did for that matter. Which prompted Steve Kerr in his press conference after the game to say , “We’ve got to compete every second.”

Now that might mean competing on the offensive end, but it also means competing on the boards, a spot where the Warriors are getting out worked. Green did have seven rebounds last night, but two of Green’s four fouls were a result of him not boxing out properly and instead grabbing Thompson’s jersey or preventing him from getting the board.

As a result of Green not getting rebounds, Green can’t start the Warriors fast break and the Warriors can’t get out and run. That’s just one reason the Warriors might go to David Lee more in Game 4.

Jun 9, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Golden State Warriors forward David Lee (10) reacts to a play in front of Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) during the fourth quarter in game three of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Lee is a little bit bigger and even though he defends a pick-and-roll as well as an average high school player, no one will ever question Lee’s effort. In his presser, Kerr commented on how Lee as the roll man made Curry more comfortable and gave him more confidence. Confidence that a struggling Draymond Green likely took away.

Green had 7 points last night. Those seven points were three more than Andrew Bogut who scored his four points on two consecutive possessions. And those were seven more points than Harrison Barnes – who looks far more like the oft-missing University of North Carolina Harrison Barnes. But seven points won’t get it done against these Cavs.

In Game Two he did have ten points. But his lone two field goals both came in overtime, on put backs.

Green might not be having his best series statically, but he’s too good of a player to make such little positive impact while on the floor. It’s not even that he’s not making shots, or not pulling in rebounds, or setting illegal screens, something he did again last night, but its that he’s not taking shots, he hesitating and not putting his head down and driving to the rim, he’s not boxing out well.

If the Warriors want to right the ship, and even up the series going back home then they need Draymond Green to show up. Hey, maybe owner Joe Lacob should charter a plane to find him much like how he chartered a plane to send the entire Warriors front office to Cleveland.

If Green doesn’t show up in Game Four though, this series might be over quicker than the Warriors expected.

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