The Golden State Warriors have needed Draymond Green to reset the clock, and sadly, he’s failed to live up to the lofty expectations.
This has season has been a struggle for the Golden State Warriors. However, it’s been even worse for three-time All-Star Draymond Green, who has not lived up the expectations set on him this season.
This was the first season in which Green hasn’t had a few superstar sidekicks. Without Kevin Durant, Green was supposed to return his numbers to those prior to the addition of the former MVP.
The season prior to Durant’s arrival, Green averaged 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. When you chip in 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks, it was easy to see why Green earned his first All-Star appearance back in 2016.
Green wasn’t the most prolific scorer on the team. He never will be that player, but he’s the team’s engine on both ends of the court. While he’s still playing that role this season, his numbers just haven’t lived up to what was expected, one reason for the team’s 9-25 start.
This season, Green is averaging 9.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.6 assists. Both the latter two are worse than last season while his scoring is up a few points per game which is to be expected without Klay Thompson, Stephen Curry and Durant in the lineup.
Fans should’ve seen this coming though.
Green’s always been the player that will keep the offense running at a high pace, but he’s not truly the one that keeps the team’s offense afloat. Overall, he’s the perfect player aside Curry and Thompson, but without them, he struggles to find a rhythm.
On the defense end, Green is still as active as ever, but with the Warriors trailing in the bulk of games, Green has played fewer minutes and has, in turn, had less of an impact on the game. This isn’t what we expected coming into the season.
Green should return to his numbers of old as the team gets healthy and enters back into championship contention next season.