Thus far the Warriors season has been a disappointment. Aside from Steph Curry, there has been plenty of blame to pass around. However, one of the positive take away from the early season has been Draymond Green’s offensive game. Through 10 games played, he’s averaging 9.1 PPG and 5.6 APG on 60.9% shooting from the field, and 30% from downtown (albeit on only 10 3PAs). Comparatively, last year in 46 regular season games he averaged 7.5 PPG and 7.0 APG on 52.5% from the field and 29.6% from 3. Scoring is slightly up, while playmaking is down. How indicative is this of what we’ve actually seen on the court? Green faced scrutiny offensively last year, especially late in the playoffs for dragging down Golden State’s offense performance. From what we’ve seen so far this season, what has changed from last season? More generally, when Draymond is humming offensively, what is he specifically doing?
The first litmus test of whether Green is playing to his offensive potential is his aggressiveness, specifically as a scorer. Part of this is shooting the shots that are there to be had, unless a high quality shot can quickly be generated. In the half court, this involves Green generally pulling the trigger on open 3s and not passing up shots near the rim. The biggest impact this added aggression makes is in transition. When Green is playing more confidently he pushes the tempo, getting out on the break looking for easy buckets more often. The key to doing this successfully is Green being in good enough shape to run more, but most importantly him looking to score himself as the first option. Doing this threatens the defense more than him just looking for 3PT shooters to distribute the ball to. By looking to get all the way to the rim first, and proving this to defenses, he will cause transition efficiency to go up. Sometimes defenses fail to stop the ball allowing him easy finishes, but usually if he is pressuring the rim, defenses must respect that, making their first priority stopping the ball which opens up trailing shooters as seen in the clip below.
Draymond being aggressive by putting more pressure on the rim would be a needed addition for a Golden State team which currently is one of the worst teams at getting to the rim and generating points in the paint.
A big factor in Green’s mindset to look to score himself in transition is how confident he is as a downhill finisher. So far we’ve seen mixed results, but he’s been better than he was last year -at least statistically. Draymond must be confident enough in his finishing to go to the basket until the defense stops the ball. Plays where he isn’t even looking at the rim, isn’t a threat for the defense to account for, and stares down shooters in transition are predictable, and much easier to defend. Specifically, Green telegraphing these reads allow defenses to anticipate his passes, making looks less open and efficient.
Another related area Green can provide a positive impact in, which he’s shown flashes of so far, is his finishing in the “pick n roll” (PnR). He is a common PnR partner for Curry and Poole, so his finishing is a vital aspect to the Warriors offense. As Steph Curry explained to media members, during the Finals he instructed Green to roll harder, with more aggression. For much of the series, after setting on ball screens Green just floated on the perimeter, allowing his defender to sag off him, mucking up spacing, and providing an extra help defender to take away the ball handler’s options. This season, he’s done a good job finishing as a roller, making the Warriors PnR action more dangerous. His floater looks smooth and he is more confident in it than previous years. This type of finish is especially useful for him because his legs aren’t as spry as they were in his 20s. However, he has shown an increased willingness to finish over bigs and through contact at the rim this year. This year his finishing at the rim is up in terms of efficiency as he’s shooting 77.4% up from 72.8%, however these looks have become slightly more often assisted. The uptick in efficiency can be traced mainly to an increase in “silver platter” looks due to better spacing as he plays many minutes with three nuclear shooters. Additionally, defenses often want to yield his finishes with minimal help as they prioritize taking away three point shooting.
Consequently, defenses daring Green to finish more at the rim has limited one of the best parts of his game: short roll passing. When defenses counter the Warrior’s great pullup shooters by putting two on the ball in on-ball screening actions and rotate behind it, Green often received float passes from the ball handler, making him the decision maker in an advantageous 4-on-3, where he excels. This year he hasn’t had as many of these opportunities and Jordan Poole has had the ball in his hands more, so in turn, his overall assist numbers are down. Thus, more of his playmaking opportunities have been without advantages already created. One of the bittersweet aspects of Green’s game is his over-aggressive homerun tendencies passing to cutters, specifically backdoor cutters. At times he’s able to fit passes into keyholes with great touch or anticipation, but far too often he stares down his target, forcing predetermined reads with no chance to players who are completely covered with no chance. In the play below, Green has his eyes locked on Klay Thompson before he even starts his back cut and fires the ball despite there being no opening at all.
Currently, Green is averaging right 2.7 TO per game, and at least one of them each game is on an unnecessary, controllable play like the one above. Giving the Warriors another possession each game would be quite valuable, especially considering how many close games they’ve found themselves in so far this season.
As most people who’ve consistently watched the Warriors know, the fake handoff is Draymond Green’s go-to move on the offensive end. It’s perfect for him as a player, simply relying on anticipation and reading how the defense is playing him, rather than pure skill. So far this year, the fake dribble handoff (DHO) has been really effective, well-timed, and gotten him a few dunks as defenders have been drawn to the threat of a Steph, Klay, or Poole DHOs and left Draymond with only green grass between him and the basket. In the Dubs most recent game against Kings, he sealed the game with a perfectly timed DHO and attack in the clip below.
The last notable wrinkle Green has deployed on the offensive end is heady DHOs when he catches the ball near the corner. Normally, NBA players shoot the three better from the corners, but not Draymond. Last year he was a combined 2/12 from the corners, while shooting 36.8% on 38 total above the break 3s. As a result, the spacing issues he poses only worsen when he’s located in the corner. Defenders don’t give him much of a closeout in the corners due to his inability to threaten defenses as a shooter, but starting last season a change has been noticeable. When Green catches the ball in or near the corners now, he frequently flows right into a DHO with any nearby shooter to expose his defender playing so far off of him. This initiated action can change the way defenses play him in certain areas of the floor, opening up more space for the Golden State offense.
The Warriors are in a rut right now, so any additional offensive contributions will be welcomed with open arms. Draymond’s numbers might not be much different than last year, but based on the eye test he’s flashed increased aggressiveness thus far. This added aggression as a scorer showed up especially in the first five games, so getting Green to sustain upping the offense force he plays with is crucial and makes the Warriors offense even harder to defend. This shift in mindset can not only shape his effectiveness as a player this season, but possibly elongate his career and reign as one of the league's most impactful players.
Photo via: NBC Sports