Whenever he does choose to retire, Draymond Green will end his career as a four-time champion and Hall of Famer with the Golden State Warriors. However, in the later stages of his time in the NBA, Green has regressed quickly, and while currently on the injury report, his performance this year hasn’t come close to that of the prior few.
Most recently, Green was named on Bleacher Report’s list of the top five NBA players who have regressed the most this year. While his defense remains high-quality, it’s his offensive output that landed the forward/center in the rankings.
“Never known for his scoring efficiency, Green is on a five-year slide in that department,” Grant Hughes wrote. “His true shooting percentage was three percent better than the league average in the 2021-22 championship season, but it has dipped every year since and now sits nine percent below the league average.”
This season, Green is averaging 8.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists on 41/32/70.7 shooting splits, and his name on the list comes after the Warriors’ game against the New Orleans Pelicans, which featured multiple positions in which he had no defenders guarding him while Golden State was on offense.
Draymond Green Concerns This Year For The Warriors
Along with his scoring woes, as Green hasn’t averaged double-digit points since the 2017-18 season, turnovers have been a massive issue for him and the team this year. Currently, he is averaging 2.7 turnovers in 48 games, up from his career average of 2.3
“Though his facilitation skills remain elite for a player who technically qualifies as a big man (98th percentile in assist percentage for his position), the 35-year-old’s turnovers are now an enormous problem,” Hughes wrote, as head coach Steve Kerr and other members of Golden State have expressed turnover concerns with Green all season.
“The Warriors’ offense is 3.7 points per 100 possessions better when he’s off the floor, partly because of the miscues but also because he simply cannot punish defenses who ignore him like he used to.”
As mentioned, in the Warriors’ game against the Pelicans, New Orleans implemented a defensive strategy in which no player guarded Green, allowing him to roam freely on offense.
Though he finished with a decently strong stat line of 11 points, seven rebounds, and six assists while a plus-eight on the court in 32 minutes, Golden State lost the game, and it was a notable moment in the history of his tenure on the team, considering Kerr’s ‘fading dynasty‘ quote earlier in the year.
However, Green is still a great defender, and the advanced numbers back that up, despite him averaging just 0.6 blocks and 0.8 steals per game this season.
“Draymond Green finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season. He won’t reach that level this year, but he’s still among the most intelligent and impactful forces in the league on that end,” Hughes added. “The Golden State Warriors’ defense is still best when he’s on the floor, and his individual Defensive Estimated Plus/Minus is in the 80th percentile overall.”
While Stephen Curry, when healthy, is still playing at an elite level, the same isn’t true for Green. He remains a valuable asset to the Warriors, but at this point in his career, he isn’t the player who anchored the team’s defense and playmaking responsibilities on the way to four championships.
Warriors Injury Report
Aside from just the regression in his play, Green is currently dealing with a back injury that held him out of Golden State’s latest game against the Memphis Grizzlies. He also sat out over the weekend against the Nuggets, and it is unknown if he will play against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday in the marquee weekend matchup.
Curry is also on the injury report, and the latest update on the franchise star signals he’ll be out at least a few more days before having the chance to return, currently dealing with Runner’s knee, according to the team.
The guard is now out of contention for end-of-season awards and can return on March 2nd against the Clippers at the earliest.
New addition Kristaps Porzingis has only played one game with Golden State since arriving at the trade deadline in a deal for Jonathan Kuminga and Buddy Hield. While he was dealing with an Achilles injury, the seven-footer is battling an illness, and after missing the team’s last two games, the Warriors have yet to announce a return date for the big man.
De’Anthony Melton, Seth Curry, L.J. Cryer, and Jimmy Butler are also listed on the injury report. Curry is set to miss at least a few more games, while it is uncertain when Melton and Cryer will return. Butler is out for the season with a torn ACL.
The Warriors are 31-28, and despite not having major hopes of winning multiple postseason rounds, are still making a push for this year’s playoffs. Having a healthy lineup will be crucial, but over the past few weeks, that hasn’t been the case.
Warriors Get Concerning Draymond Green News Amid Loaded Injury Report