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Will Draymond Green’s slump cost the Golden State Warriors a title?

By Tony Pesta

OAKLAND, CA - MARCH 5: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors warms up before the game against the Boston Celtics on March 5, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - MARCH 5: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors warms up before the game against the Boston Celtics on March 5, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors should be favorites to win the title, but could Draymond Green’s recent decline cost them a championship?

To anyone that has watched the Golden State Warriors in recent years, it is clear that Draymond Green has declined. The former Defensive Player of the Year doesn’t have the same spark he used to have. Today, we break down how Green has been playing and discuss how it will affect the team.

In years past, Green was the key to the Warriors success. The energy he brought to each game was absolutely unmatched. He was the best defender in the league and could change the entire pace of a game with his brutal defense.

Most importantly, Green was competent on offense. He was never a deadly sharpshooter, but he was good enough to knock down the open 3-pointer. Since becoming a full-time starter in 2014, Green has attempted at least three 3-pointers per game in each season, except for this one.

This is where we begin to see the drop off from Green. His jump shot has seemingly disappeared. Green is now hitting less than one 3-pointer a game on his lowest per game attempts since his sophomore season.

At just 26.1 percent shooting from deep, Green is shooting the second worst percentage of his career. Furthermore, he is scoring just 7.1 points per game, making this just his third career season averaging fewer than 10 points.

It is obvious that Green has lost his confidence offensively. Often times he passes up on wide open opportunities in order to pass the ball to a teammate. While this unselfishness is a great thing to see, it can have a crippling effect on the Dubs offense.

For example, there are many scenarios in which Green chooses not to shoot an open 3-pointer and instead pass to a teammate. As a result, the Dubs offense freezes for a few seconds as they attempt to reset and find another look. This has caused the Warriors to waste more time off of the shot clock than they are accustomed to.

Golden State thrives off of their ability to be quick hitting on offense. With Green passing up wide open shots, it becomes difficult to keep up a fast pace.

On the bright side, Green is averaging 7.1 assists per game and is still a relatively elite defender. He isn’t as impactful as he used to be, but he certainly isn’t a detriment to the team defensively.

Overall, I do not believe Green’s offensive slump will cost the Dubs a chance at the title. The Warriors are already loaded offensively and have more than enough to make up for Green’s shooting woes. Still, it would be great to see him find his stroke again.

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