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Golden State Warriors: Klay Thompson’s absence will hurt Draymond

By Tony Pesta

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 30: Klay Thompson #11 and Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after Thompson shot and make a three-point shot against the Houston Rockets in Game Two of the Second Round of the 2019 NBA Western Conference Playoffs at ORACLE Arena on April 30, 2019 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 the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 30: Klay Thompson #11 and Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates after Thompson shot and make a three-point shot against the Houston Rockets in Game Two of the Second Round of the 2019 NBA Western Conference Playoffs at ORACLE Arena on April 30, 2019 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 the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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The Golden State Warriors will play most of their season without Klay Thompson.

For a majority of the 2019-20 NBA season, the Golden State Warriors will be playing without their All-Star shooting guard, Klay Thompson. His absence will negatively impact the entire team, but will massively affect Draymond Green, in particular.

Green has become one of the league’s most effective two-way players. He has a talent for locking down offensive players while also being versatile enough to bring the ball up the floor and create plays for others. Green thrives in the open floor and needs proper spacing to be productive.

With elite shooters around him, Green has been able to operate freely on offense. Penetrating and kicking to Thompson, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry is an easy way to rack up assists. This is a large reason why he has averaged 7.1 assists per game over the last four seasons.

Now that Durant has left the team and Thompson is injured, Green will have fewer options offensively. Nobody on the Dubs roster, outside of Curry, comes close to being as good of a shooter as Durant or Thompson. This leaves Draymond in an unfortunate position.

For years, critics have claimed Green is a product of the Warriors system. With two of his three main offensive weapons gone, Green will have to prove himself. He will no longer enjoy the luxury of playing alongside a roster stacked with the greatest scorers of all-time.

Instead, Green will have to work harder for everything. For anyone who has watched Green, this won’t be a problem. Dray has always been a hard worker and is a basketball genius. Adjusting shouldn’t be too difficult.

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Still, the lack of Thompson is going to make things interesting for Green. The Warriors may even ask Green to place a heavier emphasis on scoring himself rather than passing. If this is the case, we can expect career-high numbers from the three-time All-Star.

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