In the 2012 draft, warriors management selected Draymond Green with the No. 35 pick in the second round. However, in the first two seasons of Green's first entry into the league, due to his height and technical characteristics, he was not reused by the team's coach at the time, Mark Jackson. After all, with Green's height of 2.01 meters, playing the inside line is too short, and the offensive means of playing the 2nd and 3rd positions are obviously insufficient.
It wasn't until the 14-15 season, when Steve Kerr joined the Golden State Warriors on a 5-year, 25 million contract, as the team's head coach, that in the "small-ball system" he created, Green's talent was fully activated...
In the 14-15 season, Green entered the Warriors' starting lineup, averaging 11.7 points, 8.2 boards, 3.7 assists per game, 44.3% shooting rate + 33.7% three-point shooting rate; even he used a positive, tough defensive attitude to shine on the defensive end, and gradually became an important part of the Warriors' "small ball system"...
Especially with the Warriors winning the championship many times, Green, who averaged only 10 points per game, naturally became one of the giants of the team and was also selected for the All-Star Team many times. Before the start of the 17-18 season, Sports Illustrated ranked the current players at the time - in their published top 10 list, Green squeezed Lillard, Irving, DeRozan, Butler and other stars to successfully squeeze into the top ten.
This caused a lot of controversy at the time, after all, after Durant joined in the 16-17 season, Green could only average 10.2 points per game, 7.9 boards and 7.0 assists, 41.8% shooting rate + 30.8% three-point shooting rate data sheet.
Compared with the top nine on the list at that time - James, Durant, Curry, Leonard, Harden, Westbrook, Paul, Thick Eyebrows, Alphabet Brother, Green, whether it is personal honors or personal data, has nothing to do with the league's top 10 superstars. So at that time, in the eyes of many people, Green was able to rank in the top 10 of the league, nothing more than because the Warriors won the championship many times, in fact, his role was seriously overestimated.
After the disintegration of the "Five-Star Warriors", Green played three singles + led the team to the bottom
After the 19-year finals, Durant was "discouraged" and chose to leave, Thompson was reimbursed for the season due to a torn cruciate ligament in his left knee, and Cousins, who could not win the championship + could not play a good performance, was also ready to find another way.
This also means that in the 19-20 season, the "five-star warriors" who once had unlimited scenery left and reimbursed the reimbursement, leaving only "Curry + Green" to lead the team.
Unexpectedly, Curry missed a lot of games at the beginning of the season due to a fractured left hand, and he was unable to help the team in time. So what kind of record the Warriors can play that season, almost only green can be counted on.
At that time, the outside world also had no small expectations for Green's warrior's "real thigh". After all, in the 15-16 season with Curry and Thompson, Green can also contribute 14.0 points, 9.5 boards, 7.4 assists + 49.0% shooting rate + 38.8% three-point shooting rate performance; after the "sharing" of the Splash Brothers, there were even some fans who thought that Green had a chance to average 20+ points per game.
But in fact, in the 19-20 season, Green only scored 8.0 points, 6.2 boards, 6.2 assists, 38.9% shooting rate + 27.9% three-point shooting rate. Not only did he play the "average of three singles per game" data, but the Warriors also achieved a record of 15 wins and 50 losses in the league that season.
21-22 season: Even if he averages three singles per game in consecutive seasons, Green is still the "real thigh of the team"?
In fact, as early as the 18-19 season, the season when the "five-star Warriors" were in the limelight, Green had slipped to 7.4 points, 7.3 boards, 6.9 assists, 44.5% shooting rate + 28.5% three-point shooting rate of the average three-single data per game. It's just that most people at the time thought that Green was giving power to Curry, Thompson, Durant, Cousins and others.
However, after the 19-20, 20-21 season, the outside world really realized that Green's offensive means, whether it is three-point or long-range, have indeed shown a lot of degradation, and it is difficult for him to play the same offensive performance as in the 15-16 season.
It is also after these two seasons that Green has been labeled as a "pseudo-giant" by many people, believing that the Warriors management is doomed to lose money in these 4 years and 100 million US dollars. However, when Wiggins, Poole, Damien Lee and others have "risen" this season, Green's importance to the team has become prominent.
Before Green retired from injury in the new season, the Warriors achieved a record of 30 wins and 9 losses, with a win rate of 76.9%, while after Green's injury, the Warriors only achieved a record of 13 wins and 11 losses, with a win rate of 54.1%.
Like the previous two seasons, when the Warriors' scoring points were insufficient and could only rely on Curry to let go, Green, who had almost no offensive ability, was indeed less important to the Warriors.
But like the new season, when the Warriors have enough scoring points, Green's importance to the team is self-evident. So even if Green only has 7.9 points, 7.6 boards and 7.4 assists so far this season, 53.7% shooting rate + 28.6% three-point shooting average per game, it does not prevent him from becoming the "real thigh of the team".
So, with three singles per game in consecutive seasons, how much help can Green bring to the Warriors?
1. A positive, tough defensive attitude to help the team build a more intense defensive system. The reason why the new season has been able to achieve the top record in the league so far, and even once sat in the first position of the league, in addition to Wiggins, Poole and other people in the offensive end of the force, by virtue of their defensive strength.
Before Green's absence, the Warriors' defensive efficiency was 101.3. Although their offensive firepower is not the most powerful in the league, they are often able to become the final winners when they are behind or the score is glued in the second half with their overall effective defensive efficiency.
But in the 24 games since Green's absence, the Warriors' defensive efficiency has slipped to 110.8, only 13th in the league in the same period. This makes it difficult for them to win with the advantage of the defensive end when the attack is not smooth, but often in the second half due to insufficient defensive strength and tragic reversals...
2. Rationally sort out the team and liberate Curry's offensive firepower. In the 14-15 season, when Green averaged only 3.7 assists per game and could not fully take over the organizational responsibility and share most of the organizational tasks, Curry, who was distracted by the organization, only had 23.8 points that season.
However, when Green gradually grew up, contributed 7.4 assists in the 15-16 season, and was able to stand alone in organizing and tandem teams, Curry, who did not have to be too distracted to organize the team, scored an efficient 30.1 points, not only becoming the MVP of the season, but also leading the team to play the first record in the league with 73 wins and 9 losses...
After all, Curry as the team's offensive core, once he holds the ball for a long time, then the other party can effectively target him; once he is trapped in the bag, Curry can not only effectively organize the team, but also difficult to continue to be efficient in his personal attack. Only when Curry seamlessly switches between the ball and the ball can avoid the dilemma of the bag clip.
And this season, the Warriors under the organization and tandem of Green, not only Curry can benefit, but even Thompson, Poole, Wiggins and others have also benefited a lot, playing simpler and more efficiently on the offensive end.
In addition, Green's "big mouth" attribute just makes up for Curry's introverted personality. As we all know, whether it is dissatisfaction with the team management or dissatisfaction with the performance of teammates, Curry, although as the boss of the team, usually rarely "sprays". And Green's "big mouth" attribute has just become Curry's "spokesperson" under the field, saying the words that Curry usually "holds back".
In summary, although Green has played an average of three singles in several consecutive seasons, especially the performance on the offensive end, it is extremely disappointing - often being let go of outside the three-point line but dare not shoot, his offensive performance in recent years can be called "catastrophic".
And from the current situation of Green, he still has not found his former state on the offensive end, nor has he found his previous offensive confidence. But no matter how Green's offensive end slipped and how he was despised, his defensive and organizational skills are still there. Or when Curry is absent and the team doesn't have enough scoring points, Green's role in the team is like a chicken rib.
However, if the Warriors re-assemble the championship-fighting lineup and have enough scoring points, Green's ability to defend and organize is still what the Warriors need most. Otherwise, with the Splash Brothers alone, they must organize and take into account the attack, and their personal offensive firepower cannot be maximized. The Splash Brothers, who could not maximize their individual offensive firepower, simply could not lead the team to win the championship. That is to say, if the Warriors still want to compete for the championship this season, Thompson's return is not the most critical, the key is to count on Green's return...