Draymond Green, a polarizing figure on this new and improved Warriors roster, is being taken for granted.
Draymond Green is the real deal. The Golden State Warriors came across a diamond in the rough in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft. The headlines are looming about how everyone thinks the Warriors will have a problem with the Frontcourt phenom going forward as they look to build a dynasty.
I am here to tell that these people projecting such things are being absolutely asinine. Draymond Green is indispensable, for better or worse. With all due respect to media figures such as Shannon Sharpe, Ethan Strauss, and others who are being critics of the body of work that is Draymond Green, you are all wrong! Yes he is emotional. Yes he ruffles feathers. He also the most underappreciated player on that Warriors roster and there is reason to believe that this is coming from the actions of the coaching staff and front office.
Draymond Green is the Golden State Warriors Backbone and deserves to be treated as such.
I want to revisit Green’s quotes about the coaching staff that were said during the Championship Parade following a championship victory that he was one of the biggest contributors for.
"I am the only person that gets talked about what shots i take and all those things by Steve Kerr. Like, every time I take a shot I complain so that’s why if you see, every time I make a shot, I look at him. the dude complains every time i take a shot."
We cannot decipher the intensity or sincerity of these comments, but if they are true then something needs to change. Everyone wants to make a hype train around Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and to a lesser degree, Klay Thompson. However, Draymond Green’s superb playmaking, stifling defense, and rebounding are the main reason that the Warriors get to play like they do. He is the glue that holds the team together and without him it is impossible to fathom Golden State ever winning anything. No amount of Kevin Durant’s can change that.
The question should really be why do they have a problem with Draymond Green taking shots. When players who are giving you less production or only producing in one area are taking those shots, It is mind-blowing that Draymond who is stuffing the stat sheet on the offensive end by doing what no one else will, and playing DPOY level defense on the perimeter switches and defending the paint, gets in trouble for taking some shots that he has more than earned.
The Warriors don’t have to be inefficient about the business of keeping Draymond Green involved on offense. In fact they would be more efficient if they played through him more. As I mentioned earlier Green has amazing talent, instincts, and skill as a play-maker already.
He has proven that his shooting numbers, although shaky during the 2015 Finals and average in the regular season, can improve with more touches and more rhythm shots within the offense. I want to be sure to make it clear that I am not advocating for Draymond Green as a first option.
I am simply saying that if Golden State were to tweak their gameplan just a little bit to ensure that they maximize the threat that Draymond Green is on the offensive end, they will see his level of play rise dramatically and we all know that when Green comes to play, the opponent usually has about zero chance of being able to answer. Impact players are key to building dynasties and Golden State should do whatever necessary and logical to keep their impact player’s morael on the up and up.