as bright as possible Draymond Green when you look at their weight in his success Golden State Warriors in the last decade it has been blurred by forms, actions and departures from the script at certain moments. A steady balance between what adds up and what remains, as if it were a speed limiter. With him at full capacity attack and defense, there is no opponent that can match the reigning champions. But all it takes is one pebble in his path, several adverse refereeing decisions or an unfortunate collision with someone to change everything. And that’s exactly what happened in his second game Playoffs against Sacramento Kings.
Draymond Green will not be in his crucial third meeting First roundthe first of warriors as locals in these Playoffs. A duel which Steve Kerr’s men must win if they are not to abandon their title defense ambitions after No one in all of history has ever come back from 3-0 down.
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Dre’s post couldn’t have come at a worse time. Beyond the overall outcome of the series, his absence comes as a relative identity crisis for the Warriors, whose defensive performance has left much to be desired in the opener against the Kings, as has their offensive fluidity.
Without a catalyst player on both ends of the floor, their chances of clinching that crucial Game 3 are drastically reduced. In the Steve Kerr era, the Warriors played just one playoff game without Draymond Green, the fifth in the 2016 Finals, hoarding a 72.6% win rate when available.
While he wasn’t largely responsible for that success, he was instrumental and back in San Francisco, the Golden State Warriors will miss Green dearly.
Therefore, it’s time to review how Draymond Green’s absence could affect the offense and defense in Game 3 against the Sacramento Kings.
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The incalculable value of Draymond Green on defense
Beyond rebounds, blocks or steals Draymond Green can add to the statistical level, the defensive player’s value makes him irreplaceable. First off, the Warriors don’t have another similar-caliber piece to put on them to fix that lack on the back end. Which will put a lot of pressure on Kevon Looney, a decent interior but perhaps too slow to deal with Sacramento’s electric managers.
Although the Normal Phase is not comparable to its context playoffs, It’s worth stopping to present the Warriors’ defensive stats without Draymond Green. According to Cleaning the Glass, a tool that eliminates trash minutes, when Golden State’s point guard wasn’t on the court, California’s defense was 9.8 points per 100 worst possessions. What does it translate to? Green’s mere presence on the court makes the Warriors an absolutely elite team., ranking in the 98th percentile defensively. To sum it up, this is his career high since 2016.
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Green’s absence affects a fundamental aspect of the postseason, such as rebounding, which is to minimize the opponent’s opportunities to score on second chances. Draymond played in two playoff games the second most defensive rebounding percentage he has captured (14.9%) and one of the highest records for the Warriors when they were active (64.9%). When they haven’t played, Golden State had the second-worst percentage in that regard (58.8%).
However, losing the veteran interior will leave the Warriors short on what gives their defense meaning: the help system. Draymond Green is a true master in the direction of defense. Organize, communicate and rotate like no one in the league and he is one of the best of all time in this regard.
Without a good assist job, the Warriors lose:
And the Warriors defense probably looks like this:
Draymond Green’s impact on offense
The only way to survive Golden State Warriors Draymond Green’s absence happens to increase the importance of the offense. Only with a perfect game at an attacking level can they manage to get out of trouble, which will require the best version of Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole.
The latter seems a bit complicated to be able to do. Without Dray as an offensive catalyst, the Warriors’ offense becomes too personalized. Which means a greater reliance on jump shots, clearance shots, in short, from reducing ball movement. While Green isn’t a scoring threat or a shooting range, the veteran is a facilitator, a shadow manager, enabling Curry, Poole and Thompson to enjoy good shooting situations.
With no presence, the dependence on the vessel as a source of production increases, leading to scenes like these:
Also, despite Kerr stressing the need to follow the system, it doesn’t make sense without Green:
And this was the general trend of Golden State without the approved Green:
When the Warriors set foot on their court they become a completely different team than they are away from home.
This isn’t going to be the first time the dynasty has found itself between a rock and a hard place, so not seeing a scenario in which they can win is pretty complicated. But this isn’t the same team that dominated the playoffs last year. Times have changed and they have nothing to prove beyond defending their pride. And they have some highly motivated kings ahead.
The views expressed here do not necessarily represent those of the NBA or its organizations.
