Golden State Warriors: 3 Reasons they are rolling into the New Year
By Tony Pesta
3. Draymond Green drives
Through all of the turmoil, Stephen Curry and Draymond Green have remained pretty great. Although, Green went through a bout of lackluster performances in Curry’s absence — and some head-scratching decisions with Curry on the floor.
Specifically, Green took a backseat in the scoring department. Which, is not out of character by any means, but it became a problem last season when he could not be counted on in the slightest to create his own offense.
Green was still a league leader in assists last season. Yet, he held no value as a scoring threat. And when the going gets rough — opponents did not care if Green had the ball because they knew he would not be shooting.
This season, Green has changed that narrative.
I don't have access to Second Spectrum data (wish I did). But the GOAT Zach Lowe does, and this is what he wrote on his recent 10 things about how good Draymond Green's been on offense this year: pic.twitter.com/7Jak6WZWJm
— Joe Viray (@JoeVirayNBA) December 10, 2021
Green is having one of his best seasons in the paint, shooting a career-high 75.9 percent at the rim. This added layer to his game has given him some gravity on his drives, where he is generating 1.41 points per possession. According to Zach Lowe, this is the best in the NBA by a mile.
The Warriors will not have to worry about releasing pressure from Curry once Thompson returns — but having Green ramp up his aggression is something that will pay dividends moving forward.