The upcoming season for the Golden State Warriors will require a lot of overachieving to have any chance of making noise in the playoffs. Head coach Steve Kerr recently revealed that he’s expecting to make a few bold changes to the offense. One of them is for Draymond Green to take more three-pointers since opposing NBA teams often leave him hope from deep.
Green used his podcast to express excitement about this and claimed it can help everyone:
“Shooting when the game says ‘shoot’, pass when the game says ‘pass’, not becoming a robot and just going to 1 thing, I’m extremely excited about this because the last time I shot 3’s in rhythm, where I could just go up and you know what, ‘I’m letting that thing fly’, was 2016-2017. It was probably the last time I actually was shooting in rhythm and just letting it ride no matter what.
So, I’m looking forward to that, not that I’m just going to come out casting 3’s, but I definitely am going to look to get more of them up when I’m open and you know that’s exciting to hear from your coach. That’s exciting because it’s not necessarily something that I’ve always heard.”
Green made it clear he’s not going to shoot threes for the hell of it, but he’s stoked to take more shots within the flow of the game. The 2017 Warriors were cited as the last time he felt the freedom to take three-pointers before the offense changed with Kevin Durant’s role.
How Draymond Green Can Help Warriors Win
The timing of this is huge since Green has enough time to plan for this role and try to improve his outside shot. Veterans like Brook Lopez have shown that age shouldn’t hold players back from improving the three-pointer once the other areas of the game decline.
Skepticism entering this season sees fans and media unsure of Stephen Curry having much help around him. Green hitting threes would be huge for the offense since that adds more versatility and forces teams to stop doubling Curry.
Kristaps Porzingis and Green are two of the biggest variables since both have been elite defenders in the past. Golden State needs Green to continue contributing and for Porzingis to stay healthy to succeed.
Draymond Green Is Extra Motivated This Season
Contract years are huge in any sport since it implies a player will give their best effort heading into free agency knowing they need a new contract. The Warriors extended Green for one more season at nearly $30 million once they realized they weren’t landing LeBron James.
However, it remains likely the team will want to use that money on a better player next season to boost the chances of contention with Curry and possibly Jimmy Butler still on the team roster. Green could easily be the odd man out if he doesn’t take a cheaper deal.
A strong season improving the three-point shot and continuing to play good defense could help Green’s market value. Other teams feeling they are one piece away from a title will have reason to pay Green if he goes into the offseason with momentum.
Draymond Green Believes New Role Can Help Warriors Win