Golden State Warriors: Draymond Green’s impact is enormous
By Tony Pesta
Draymond Green’s return to the Golden State Warriors has been big – and he has changed the narrative around this team.
Last week, the NBA world was prepared to officially dethrone the Golden State Warriors and toss them into the trash. The dynasty was over – and even the return of Draymond Green wouldn’t be enough to make them competitive again.
This rushed conclusion felt unfair. And, to no surprise, we are seeing the Warriors prove everyone wrong for the umpteenth time in recent years. No, the Dubs aren’t done competing for championships – even without Klay Thompson.
Green’s return to the court has done wonders for the outlook of this team. As many Dubs’ fans predicted, Green has unlocked the rest of the floor for players like Kelly Oubre Jr., Andrew Wiggins, Eric Paschall – and most of all, James Wiseman.
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His ability to lead a team and orchestrate the offense is mind-bending. He knows where everyone should be at all times and isn’t afraid to literally jump up and down and scream at teammates who are out of position.
This type of leadership has been missing for the early stages of the season, but now it appears Green is back in shape as one of the most impactful players the NBA has ever seen.
We’ll exclude his first game since he played only a few minutes and was clearly out of sorts. In the two games following, Golden State has scored 137 points in both matches – while winning each game by an average of 23 points.
Wiseman has been the biggest beneficiary of Green’s return. He has racked up some easy points in the paint due to the dynamic playmaking of Green and is being put in position for maximum success on defense.
Curry has benefited as well. Having someone familiar who knows how to run the Dubs’ system is opening paths for Curry to explode on offense. In his last two games, Curry has scored 62 and 31 points in roughly 30 minutes of playing time each night.
This has put the Warriors at 4-3 on the season and with momentum heading into a tough part of their schedule.