Golden State Warriors: Can Draymond Green save his jump shot?

Imagine this: It is Game 7 of the NBA Finals and someone on the Golden State Warriors has drilled 6-of-8 attempts from the 3-point line. But no, it isn’t Stephen Curry or even Klay Thompson — It’s Draymond Green, who is leading all scorers with 32 points.

Yes, in the 2016 NBA Finals, Green erupted for a game-high six 3-pointers in the decisive Game 7. This wasn’t just some flukey, random performance from Green either, (albeit he played well above expectations). Green shot near 40 percent from deep that season — and had a game in which he connected on 8-of-12 attempts earlier in that same postseason.

So… what the hell happened?

There is no way around it, Draymond Green will continue to hold back the Golden State Warriors if he can’t save his 3-point shot.

From 2013-2017, Green shot 34.2 percent from deep in the regular season and 33.8 percent during the playoffs. Compare this to the last three years, in which he shot just 28.7 percent during the regular season and 25.0 percent in the postseason, and it is clear something is wrong.

But what exactly happened? Green was never a sniper from deep but he was at least reliable during the Warriors’ first three NBA Finals runs. Green hasn’t suffered any major injuries or lost a significant amount of athleticism. So what gives?

Perhaps it is all mental. A shooting slump can be difficult to break out of, even for great shooters. As the years go on and Green continues to miss from deep, his loss of confidence could be compounding.

Whatever it might be, it is obvious Green has to do something to boost his efficiency once again.

In the past, teams would leave Green wide-open out of necessity. It is impossible to defend Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson AND Kevin Durant all at the same time. As a result, Green would often be left open and took advantage of this space.

Now, however, teams are simply leaving Green wide-open because, well… he isn’t a threat. With Curry going full Rambo during last season, Green was frequently ignored in favor of swarming Curry. While Klay Thompson’s return will be enough to take some attention away from Curry — Green has to step up too.

I’m not sure what Green can do to return to his league-average 3-point stroke. One would hope that a full summer of fine-tuning his release could be all it takes. But, if it was that easy, wouldn’t everyone do it?

At 30 years of age, Green is reaching a crossroads in his career. His athleticism will soon start to decline. If he can’t increase his accuracy from deep, Green could be only a few years away from falling from grace.