Let me be the first to say that the Warriors would certainly like to see Draymond Green kick the ball better. They will have the opportunity to win more games if he improves his pitch percentage.
The three-time NBA champion in 17 games is 33.3% overall and 19.4% beyond the hoop. These numbers are terrible.
Draymond in the Golden State’s loss to the Boston Celtics on Tuesday night was 1 to 7 overall and 0 to 3 in the 3-point range.
So it was no surprise to hear Bill Simmons from The Ringer offer these ideas about the NBA’s three-time All-Star during the most recent episode of “Bill Simmons Podcast”.
“I was watching Draymond Green tonight wondering what the hell happened to him offensively,” he said. “I went to your basketball reference page – which was a mistake because it basically left me in a half hour pirouette and I was barely watching the Celtics-Warriors game … but I’m also happy to have done this.
“He gave up on himself completely as a top scorer. I’m not saying he’s a bad player. I’m just confused. I don’t understand how someone who was such a powerful offensive player – and someone who was even better in the playoffs than in the regular season. ..
“What happened? Is he settling in at a different point in his career or is something strange happening that could be a freak? I don’t know if it’s Draymond. I don’t know if this is a depression. But the strange thing is – they really need your offense.
“Whatever is going on, I think it is one of the strangest subplots in basketball that I remember. After the 2019 season, I would say that Draymond is probably a member of the Hall of Fame. I don’t know now.
“He’s like a strange 2021 version of Ben Wallace, who doesn’t recover so much.”
Again, the shooting numbers are not good and need to improve. There is no denying that. But context is vitally important when looking at Draymond from a macro level.
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He went beyond the incredible in 2015-16, averaging 14.0 points and 7.4 assists, while shooting 49 percent from the field and 38.8 percent from depth. Draymond couldn’t be more motivated, as the Warriors sought to defend his title and sought the record for most wins in a single season in the league’s history.
Then Kevin Durant arrived and Draymond learned that the Warriors didn’t really need his score every night. Therefore, although his percentages dropped during the regular season, he hit almost 45% overall and 41% in 3-point territory during the 2017 playoffs (and averaged 13.1 points per game).
The following year, he averaged 11.0 points and 7.3 assists in 70 games, and hit 45.4 percent of his shots. And in case you need a reminder – against the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2018 Western Conference semifinals, he averaged 14.8 points and 10.0 assists, while hitting 49 percent overall and 40 percent deep.
Since we’re here, let’s remind you of something else. In the 2019 Western Conference finals against the Portland Trail Blazers, Draymond averaged 16.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 2.8 blocks and 2.3 steals. He shot 54.2 percent from the ground. These numbers are off the chart and still do not accurately summarize how dominant he was. It was special.
As for last season, you threw everything out the window. The Warriors were wiped out by injuries, Draymond knew it was a lost year and the guy needed a physical and mental break.
Entering this season, the 30-year-old was extremely eager to take his game back to All-Star levels and help bring Golden State back to the title fight. But the disaster came when Klay Thompson broke his right Achilles tendon on the morning of the NBA draft on 18 November. Then, Draymond lost the entire training ground and the first four games of the season while trying to recover after being sidelined by the league’s health and safety protocols COVID-19.
So, when will he finally return to the peak version of himself?
“I think I’m two or three weeks away,” Draymond told the media after Saturday’s victory over the Detroit Pistons. “Just continuing to be in better shape. My speed is getting there.
“It’s definitely coming. I’m excited about it. It’s good to see the work starting to bear fruit. Starting to build some continuity and some feeling.”
It’s from a conditioning / energy point of viewTuesday’s performance against the Celtics was easily the best Draymond has seen in the entire season.
If Draymond remains totally healthy throughout the season, the score / kick will naturally improve and the Warriors will be fine.
And with regard to the big picture:
And, lastly, in case you’re wondering what Simmons believes when it comes to the Warriors’ championship aspirations in the short and long term:
“The league is much better now. You will not really dispute a title with Klay, Curry, Draymond and the other guys on this team,” he said. “This is a team that loses in Round 2 if Klay is 100 percent.”
Duly noted.
PS – Draymond 100 percent will be consecrated in the Hall of Fame.
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