How can the Warriors survive without Draymond Green? Here are a few
suggestions
Draymond Green will miss at least Warriors' next seven games with disc
issue in back
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. – NOV. 4: Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green
(23) high fives Gary Payton II (0) in the third quarter against the New
Orleans Pelicans, Friday, Nov. 4, 2021, at Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
>SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. – NOV. 4: Golden State Warriors’ Draymond Green
(23) high fives Gary Payton II (0) in the third quarter against the New
Orleans Pelicans, Friday, Nov. 4, 2021, at Chase Center in San
Francisco, Calif. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
By JANNELLE MOORE |
PUBLISHED: January 17, 2022 at 9:15 a.m. | UPDATED: January 17, 2022 at
9:33 a.m.
https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2022/01/17/how-can-the-warriors-survive-without-draymond-green-here-are-a-few-suggestions/

What Draymond Green brings to the Golden State Warriors often goes
unquantified.

His game, in all of its paradoxical essence, doesn’t necessarily show up
in the box score. Instead, his impact still results in more Warriors’
wins than losses.

If Green’s not facilitating on offense, he’s in the mix defensively by
either directing the team on rotations or out-hustling everyone on the
floor. His intangibles are the main reason why the Warriors had one of
the top defensive ratings in the league for most of the season.

For at least the next two weeks, the Warriors will be without Green,
who’s missed the last four games with tightness and soreness in his left
calf related to a disc issue in his lower back. After that period, he’ll
be re-evaluated but his absence could extend longer.

During this time, the Warriors will have to find a way to win without
Green and his impact. Here are some obstacles the Warriors without Green
will face during the upcoming homestand — and how they can overcome them.

- Fiery leadership

As a leader, Green is unapologetically demonstrative and brash. He’s the
one who keeps the energy where it’s needed in order for the team to
function. He is the vociferous and audacious yang to Stephen Curry’s
understated, lead-by-actions over words yin or Andre Igoudala’s steady
and sage wisdom.

Green’s style of leadership is a healthy contrast in comparison because
all teams need that guy who is unafraid to check folks and get in their
faces when needed. The guy who will hold teammates’ feet to his fire to
get results.

No one else on the Warriors is able to replicate it. Either they have
the clout to do it but chose not to like Curry, Iguodala or Klay
Thompson, or they may have the will to do it but don’t really have the
clout or the stripes to do it.

One possible solution is head coach Steve Kerr being able to fill in for
Green as the ‘bad cop’ to Curry’s diplomatic ‘good cop’ approach. Kerr
and Green are similar in terms of their competitiveness and fire. So,
Kerr upping his energy in intensity in this regard would make the most
sense.

- Defensive matchups

In the Warriors’ 119-99 loss to the Timberwolves Sunday, Karl-Anthony
Towns torched the Dubs, scoring 26 points on 11-of-20 shooting and
snagging 11 rebounds. Had Green played, he would have been guarding Towns.

In this seven-game homestand, the Warriors defense will have to contain
Domantas Sabonis, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, Luka Doncic, KAT
again, and James Harden. Each of these matchups poses a challenge in
protecting the middle (Sabonis, Gobert, KAT) or skill (Mitchell, Doncic,
and Harden).

Individually, no one on the Warriors can replicate what Green does
defensively. Collectively, however, the Warriors can slow these players
down by deploying a combination of well-timed traps and switches in the
zone.

If the Warriors play man, regardless of who’s out there defending, in
some of these matchups the habits are being guarded more so than the
man. In the Harden and Doncic matchups, for example, they have habits
and trends that the Warriors defense need to be aware of.

If they hone in on the habits and take them away as opposed to getting
caught up in who they are guarding, the challenge wouldn’t seem so
insurmountable without Green’s presence.

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- Running the offense

As a point forward, Green also does most of the facilitating in the
Warriors’ ball movement and assist-heavy offense. Without Green, the
offense looks different and at times doesn’t work as well. To adapt, the
Warriors can limit Curry’s off-ball action and have him play on the ball
while Green isn’t out there.

If he’s available after missing the Timberwolves game with a hand
injury, Curry could create his own shot as well as for others.

Again, an on-ball Curry isn’t such a bad idea since he is among the
league leaders in isolation points per possession (1.23) and, to a
lesser extent, pick-and-roll points per possession (0.93). Spamming
Curry/Andrew Wiggins pick-and-roll opportunities in some of these
matchups wouldn’t be such a bad thing. In the glimpses of it against
Chicago, it was difficult to guard. Curry could attack the hedges of the
defenses and create more space for him, Wiggins, and others to score.

--
Jannelle Moore | Guest Analyst