Warriors vs Lakers: 3 factors that played a key role in opening night win

Draymond Green setting screens like it’s another day at the office

Reggie Miller got it right when he said the Warriors had an “efficient” screen setting. Draymond Green, in particular, made it count when he set one up for his team so that they could fire with ease, especially after lagging behind in the first quarter.

Against a defensive powerhouse like the Lakers, the position and timing in setting a screen become crucial (all of this goes without saying by the way) and Green’s experience counted the most when he set one up.

And it will be massive learning for a team that has players like Wiggins who are sharp on defense and can pick up a thing or two, especially knowing when you have to set screens for Curry and Thompson when they return.

Per The Athletic, Steve Kerr had already outlined the importance of playing with Green at the center.

"“We have a better group for spacing,” Kerr explained. “We have more shooting. I thought we came on strong at the end of last year and a lot of that was our spacing and ball movement. I’m hopeful that this year’s team can feel that right away, can understand the need for spacing and swinging the ball side to side and understanding how to play off of Steph, understanding when to screen for him and where he is and Klay, too, when he comes back.”"

Picking on “when to screen” will be the learning for the Warriors this season, but for now Green has given a good lesson.