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Draymond Green is a three-time All-Star, three-time NBA champion and without a doubt, one of the most integral members of the Golden State Warriors‘ recent dynasty. He won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award following the 2016-2017 season and even now at 31 years old, is one of the three finalists for the hardware this year.
With that being said, there is one obvious area of his game where Green can improve, and members of the Dubs organization are looking to address it sooner rather than later.
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Anytime a player has an individual meeting with both the head coach and the general manager, it’s obviously regarding something serious. While Green’s positive impact on defense, playmaking and leadership can’t be overstated, it’s clear that the organization wants to take a look at his scoring contributions and nip it in the bud.
Green Made NBA History This Season, Both Good and Bad
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GettyGolden State Warriors forward Draymond Green during the team’s NBA Tournament Play-In game against the Los Angeles Lakers on May 19, 2021.
Among the litany of eye-popping statistics and oddities that Green put out in his ninth season was him becoming the first player in NBA history to have more rebounds and assists than points in a single campaign. The former Michigan State Spartan grabbed 449 boards and dished out 558 helpers – good for 7.1 and 8.9 per game respectively – but also scored only 444 points at 7.0 per contest as well.
Just because Green’s scoring numbers aren’t where they used to be, it doesn’t mean that he’s necessarily been struggling when looking to put the ball in the basket. Green’s field goal percentage of 44.7% was his best mark in three years, and represented the third-best mark of his career.
However, his 6.0 field goal attempts per game were his lowest in a season since the 2013-2014 year, which is before he became a full-time starter. Remarkably, his season-high in points was just 18 – which came in a 116-107 win over the Denver Nuggets on April 12 – whereas he had scored 20 points or more at least once in every season since his rookie year.
Some may think that when you’re on a team with Stephen Curry, scoring from others isn’t needed, and the top priority on offense is to get him the ball, but as fans saw numerous times this season, even Curry can’t singlehandedly carry an offensive load.
Kerr: ‘I’ve Got to Do More to Help Draymond Offensively’
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GettyGolden State Warriors forward Draymond Green and head coach Steve Kerr during Game 5 of the 2015 NBA Finals.
Both Bob Myers and Steve Kerr held press conferences Monday to discuss the end of the season, what lies ahead in the offseason, and the health status of Klay Thompson, among others. They also touched on Green’s scoring numbers and seem to know that it’s one of the top things to address over the summer.
“But there’s no getting around the fact that when (Green) makes a three, makes a couple threes, gets 10 or 12 points, we are a better team. Draymond knows that, and I think the whole point going into next year is for me as Draymond’s head coach and as the coach of this team to really encourage that kind of aggression but to help that aggression,” Kerr told reporters. “I’ve got to do more to help Draymond offensively, and those are things that I have to improve upon as we go into next year that I’ll be thinking about.
When talking about the private meeting between Kerr, himself and Green, Myers noted that the three of them were on the same page.
The good news is we’re all aligned in that that opens things up. He wants to do it, too, and he’s done it before. That’s also — you were covering our team when he was shooting at a high clip from there. He’s capable. Some of it’s a mindset, some of it’s work. But we need it. He wants it. He’s not going to shy away from that. I think he wants to feel confident in that regard. And so yes, that ability to be a threat out there is important to us, and we’re focused on it and so is he, and we think we can improve in that area.
With the season now officially in the rearview mirror, Warriors fans can look to the NBA offseason calendar and anticipate plenty of news in the coming months, especially with the NBA Draft. The draft combine is June 21-27, the Draft Lottery is June 22, and the 2021 NBA Draft is July 29.
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