Draymond Green is going to finish in the Top 3 for the Defensive Player of the Year award, and probably deserves to win it. But his offensive game struggled for most of the season – he only shot 41 percent from the field and 30 percent on 3-pointers, both way down from the previous two seasons.
Maybe it just took him some time to adjust to Kevin Durant’s arrival?
But Green has been torrid in the first six games of the playoffs, shooting 54 percent on 3-pointers and he’s had two games in which he shot 5-for-8 from behind the arc. The Blazers and Jazz have made it clear – the guy they’re going to leave open is Green. If he beats us … he beats us. Given his regular season numbers, that decision isn’t a bad one.
But Green’s making opponents pay.
If this keeps up, Golden State going 16-0 in the postseason could actually happen.
Yes, it’s a tiny sample size. Just like Andre Iguodala’s 0-for-18 stretch in the playoffs on 3-pointers. The Warriors are probably less concerned with Iguodala, who shot 38% from deep last year in the playoffs, and 35% two years ago when he was the MVP of the Finals.
Green was supposed to be the weak link offensively when the Warriors go with the “Hamptons Five,” the player you dare to beat you from the perimeter. That’s what the Cavs tried in Game 7 of the Finals, but Green scored 32 points (to go with 15 rebounds and nine assists). Harrison Barnes ended up killing the Warriors in the Finals, shooting 5-for-32 from the field and 3-of-15 on 3-pointers in the final three games, all losses.
He’s been replaced by Kevin Durant.
Also worth noting about Green: Zero technical fouls so far this postseason. Zero flagrant fouls so far this postseason. He hasn’t kicked anyone below the belt. A dialed-in Green means trouble for everyone.