Everyone knows Golden State Warriors guard D'Angelo Russell can score, but power forward Draymond Green is expecting the lefty to play some high-level defense this season as well.
Green, one of the best defenders in the NBA, says he was surprised by Russell's defensive ability in a recent practice and told the All-Star he will have to showcase those skills for the Warriors during the regular season:
Draymond Green on D'Angelo Russell: "Watching him in practice yesterday, I told him 'Oh, you showed me you can defend. I didn't know you could.' I told him that'll be the expectation moving forward." 🤣
— Drew Shiller (@DrewShiller) October 23, 2019
Russell will start next to Stephen Curry in the Warriors’ backcourt. He averaged 21.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game last season for the Brooklyn Nets while shooting 43.4 percent from the field, 36.9 percent from beyond the arc and 78.0 percent from the free-throw line.
Neither Russell nor Curry are known for their defense. Both guys are going to have step up their games on that end of the floor, especially since Kevin Durant and Andre Iguodala are gone and Klay Thompson is going to miss a big chunk of the season recovering from his ACL tear.
There are some around the league who believe the Warriors are going to miss the playoffs this season in the rugged Western Conference. Curry, Green and Russell are eager to shut those critics up.
They'll get their first chance to silence the doubters on Thursday when they host Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers.
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