The Golden State Warriors rely a lot on Draymond Green for his leadership and versatility on defense. His playmaking out of the short-roll and DHO synergy with Steph Curry should be understated, either. The NBA veteran’s absence while he works toward making his return to the lineup.
During an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio, former Warriors center Festus Ezeli called Draymond Green “the most important key to this team.”
“Draymond is the most important key to this team. Why? Because they built a system around him. They built a system around the 3 guys which is Draymond, Steph and Klay. He might not be the best player on the team, but he’s the most important.”
Teams are increasingly deciding to deploy small ball units and the ultimate small ball center in the NBA is Draymond Green due to his incredible play processing ability and combination of foot speed for his size. He puts all of that to good use as the anchor of the unit.
LATEST NBA NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Draymond Green’s Absence Showcasing His Value To Warriors
“This year, they’re deciding that small-ball is the way we’re gonna go… for that to be effective, we need our Defensive Player of the Year in the back to anchor us. That’s why they went out to this huge lead to start the season, they’re 2nd in the NBA still, even with going 14-11 in the last games.”
Perhaps the recent matchup against the Dallas Mavericks without Green available was a prime example of his value. The Mavs deployed Dorian Finney-Smith at center after ball screens with Dwight Powell were neutralized by the defense. Dallas sought to attack Nemanja Bjelica and Steph Curry, but if Green was on the floor, he’d be handling switching at the five and serving as the low-man when off the ball.
LATEST NBA NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Draymond Green’s Absence Showcasing His Value To Warriors
For the observer, it can be easy to overlook some of the significant ways a player provides value beyond the box score. Green means a great deal to the Warriors between his leadership holding teammates accountable and him being the fulcrum of the defense.
“When you miss a guy like Draymond, who calls out all the coverages, who sets great screens for Steph and Klay to get open, who is the leader and the heart of the team…of course you’re going to miss Draymond.”
LATEST NBA NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Draymond Green’s Absence Showcasing His Value To Warriors
It certainly is a significant drop-off for the Golden State Warriors’ defense to not have Draymond Green in the lineup. It also makes life harder on Steph Curry since he loses the DHO connection they have when Green doesn’t play.
