The Golden State Warriors are a shell of their former dynasty. While they’re currently still in position to make a playoff push in the Western Conference, they’re flirting with disaster.
The 31-28 Warriors lost All-NBA and All-Star forward Jimmy Butler to a torn ACL on Jan. 19. To make matters much worse, two-time NBA MVP and four-time champion Stephen Curry, who will turn 38 on March 14, has been out since Jan. 30 with patellofemoral pain syndrome, commonly known as “runner’s knee.”
On Feb. 19, ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported that Curry would be re-evaluated in 10 days after undergoing another MRI “that came back clean,” but “persistent pain and swelling” are preventing him from returning to the Warriors.
That leaves Draymond Green as the most consistent presence in Golden State’s starting lineup.
The Athletic‘s Nick Friedell thinks that should change.
“The reality is that his play can’t back up what has gone on in the past anymore,” Friedell said on 95.7 The Game. “He’s just not consistently the same guy, and that happens in the league. It just is happening at a rough time where the Warriors could sure use his old ability to hit shots from the outside or play better defensively.”
Friedell added, “I don’t know if it’ll happen by the end of this year or not, but Draymond probably is best served in that super sub role — coming off the bench, playing 18-20 minutes a game, giving a defensive jolt when needed. Maybe he can hit a couple of open shots when he’s given all of the space that he’s been getting. But it’s just shifting.”
Green, 35, has started all 48 games he’s played for the Warriors this season. The four-time NBA champion is averaging 26.6 minutes per game and shooting 41% from the field for 8.5 points per game. Green is also averaging 5.7 rebounds and 5.1 assists. The issue is that Green is also averaging 2.7 turnovers per game, second to Curry’s 2.8, and his plus-minus sits at -7.
“I’ve got to do a better job of helping Draymond,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said last week, according to Friedell. “The game is so different without Steph. Those two guys have built such a rapport for 14 years now. They’ve been playing together, and for sure, in my 12 (years), the two-man game with those two guys has been our bread and butter. When Steph goes out, it really changes everything in terms of how defenses guard us, and it impacts Draymond probably more than anybody.”
The Warriors will next host the 34-23 Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, Feb. 28, and the 27-30 Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, March 2.
Green missed Golden State’s 133-112 win in Memphis on Wednesday night due to a back injury, and he’s listed as day-to-day.