As the Golden State Warriors near the end of the Stephen Curry era and the closing of their current championship window, the organization must do everything necessary to build a contending roster around him.
That mandate is clear, and as a result, the lackluster offensive performance of Draymond Green this season has begged a weighty question.
If he is no longer the right fit as a starter next to Curry, is it time to use his contract to go after another star?
Green is who he is as a player. He has always had elite timing and IQ defensively, with emotional outbursts that the team accepts as part of his total package. This season, however, his offensive production has largely plummeted, and his skyrocketing turnover numbers created major cause for concern regarding his continued viability with the team.
Yet over his past seven games, Green has shown a willingness to be more careful with the ball: a fact that could prolong his tenure in Golden State.
Draymond Green's turnover numbers have come down, and they need to stay that way if the team has any shot at contention
The Warriors offensive approach has been underwhelming in multiple facets this season. Despite their recent hot stretch, they are still just 20th in the NBA in offensive rating and dead last in points in the paint.
They also have been a high turnover team, averaging the second-most in the league just ahead of the Portland Trail Blazers. This has put an additional and unneccesary strain on their aging defensive front, and it has been a major factor in the struggles they have seen through the first portion of this season.
Green, for much of the campaign, has been one of the worst perpetrators. He has gone from a player who could almost always be trusted to make the right pass to a reckless hurler, throwing the ball into traffic when defenders sag off of him in the paint and making poor choices in transition.
Through his first 21 games, he averaged 3.3 turnovers. His assist-to-turnover ratio (which sat at an abysmal 1.63) looked like it was going to be the worst mark he had posted in his career.
However, over his last seven games, he has averaged just 1.9 turnovers, and his assist-to-turnover ratio has skyrocketed to a respectful 2.26 in that span.
Green provides so much to the team, and the decision to move on from him would be made only if it was absolutely necessary. If he can keep his turnover numbers down, and remain a productive member of the offense as a result, there will be no question about his place on the team.