With his upcoming free agency in the summer, Draymond Green is providing the Golden State Warriors’ organization plenty of reasons to match any offer that they are bound to receive. In just two playoff games, Green has already played 84 minutes – the second highest mark in the league so far.
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It is no coincidence that the man who leads the NBA with the most playoff minutes played so far is Green’s main defensive assignment: Anthony Davis.
Davis is a matchup nightmare for the Warriors – outside of Green, they don’t have any big men who can deal with Davis adequately. Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli are far too slow and immobile to handle Davis, and Marreese Speights can be unreliable on the defensive end. Because of this, the Warriors have mirrored Green’s involvement in the game against Davis’ – whenever Davis is in, Green will be there to meet him.
Green is currently averaging 14.5 points, 12.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.5 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game, in addition to defending the best player on the Pelicans. On the defensive end is where he does most of his work, but Green’s impact on the offensive end cannot be understated.
Midway through Game Two, the Pelicans began switching their pick-and-roll coverage when Green was the roll-man. This was designed to prevent separation from the ball-handler and his defender. Davis’ length and athleticism allows him to defend guards, and can sometimes even be a scary matchup for guards with shaky handles.
The Warriors realized the adjustment and made one of their own: they began using the frequent switching to their advantage. Having Davis defend either Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson on the switch means leaving a smaller guard with Green. Watch how the immediately involve Green on the play after the switch.
The switching of the pick-and-roll was designed to reduce separation, but the Warriors have used Green’s passing and screening ability to create space for their shooters.
In last night’s game, Green attempted six three-point shots. He was 2-of-6 from behind the arc, but the Warriors need him to keep putting those shots up. The Pelicans are concerned with defending the penetration from Curry, which often means that both defenders in the pick-and-roll are focused on corralling Curry after the screen. Green would then pop up to behind the three-point line, with plenty of time and space to settle himself, receive a pass, and go up for the shot.
If the Pelicans are going to gamble and stop the dribble penetration, Green needs to keep them honest from behind the arc.
The Playoffs are all about making adjustments, and the Warriors have been able to adapt from the Pelicans’ changes so far. Draymond Green will be the Warriors’ most important player in the series – his defense on Anthony Davis and versatility on the offensive end might just end up deciding who wins.
Here are some other takeaways I had from the game:
- I’m not too sure what Pelicans’ coach Monty Williams was thinking when he complained about the noise level in Oracle Arena. Did he think that would go down well at all? The Roaracle is well known for the loud raucous atmosphere, and he must have known that the fans would not take kindly to the suggestion that they should “take it down a notch”. The Warriors’ organization responded by handing out free megaphones at Oracle, and even supplied a box of ear-plugs under the scorers’ table for Williams. But Steve Kerr takes the cake for this zinger.
- The Warriors need to be aware that this series isn’t going to be a cakewalk. The Pelicans are a youthful, high-energy team excited for their first playoff appearance, and Davis is a difficult defensive matchup for the Warriors. They finished off Game One poorly, and started last night’s game complacently – a big “no-no” for the remaining games in the series.
- I didn’t think we’d see much of Leandro Barbosa in the playoffs, but going up against a diminutive Norris Cole is a good matchup for the Brazillian Blur. TNT’s Mike Breen perfectly sums up my thoughts on Barbosa – “How can someone so old be so fast?”
- Here’s Andre Iguodala threading the needle to Andrew Bogut. Iggy missed out on winning the Sixth Man of the Year award, but I don’t think he’ll mind it at all if he wins a title.
- More Barbosa goodness!