Has Draymond Green rediscovered his confidence scoring field goals? Especially near the hoop?
It seemed that way to me on Wednesday, when I watched him rack up his second triple-double in three games during the Warriors’ eventful 108-94 win against the Rockets. He finished with 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists, hitting 7-of-8 shots with one 3-pointer in two tries. It was his 27th career triple-double, and he even passed former Warriors guard Chris Mullen’s career assist mark.
As I said, it was an eventful night (with superstar Steph Curry’s bruised tailbone the headliner).
But what I was most excited about with Green’s performance was his scoring around the bucket. He’s not an elite scorer, but he doesn’t have to be. Much of the time, nobody guards him closely, or at all. That’s thanks in large part to the gravity of Curry. Green simply has to take advantage when he can, which will be often until further notice.
Just look at this play. Green does the dirty work on the boards and nobody guards him. The result? What it should be: an easy bucket.
He had plenty of other finishes hear the rim, and most were more difficult than that. My goodness, that was easy.
But they were all golden opportunities that he capitalized on. That’s the point of coach Steve Kerr’s offense: take the best shot. Often Green passes when he has a clear look at the basket, and while it’s sometimes spectacular (think about all those ally oops to ex-Warrior Andre Iguodala) these aren’t the good ole’ dynasty days.
Golden State needs those points. And eventually, when the opposition guards Green more closely, it will help the entire offense. And if he can get to 10 points more often, guess what? More triple-doubles than ever, of course. That’s a perfect bonus.
(Photo credit Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports)
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