Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has gotten off to a slow start this season, putting up numbers well below his averages.
Earlier this month, former NBA player and ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins came to his defense, referring to him as the heart and soul of the Warriors. He even stated that numbers lie at times and that his subpar averages don’t do justice to his contributions to the team.
But after a lopsided 114-93 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday that snapped a two-game winning streak, Perkins is now singing a different tune and wants the three-time All Star to put up better numbers:
While Perkins stated that he still appreciates Green’s impact beyond the box score, Perkins now wants more from the Warriors forward after he finished with just two points on 1-of-7 shooting in the loss to the Suns. The five-time All-Defensive Team member did add four rebounds, six assists, and three steals in his 25 minutes on the floor, but that didn’t prevent Golden State from losing its ninth game of the season despite Steph Curry’s 27 points.
During the game, Green was seen complaining to an official after receiving a technical foul. He was recently ejected during a game against the New York Knicks after being slapped with a second technical for shouting at teammate James Wiseman, though that second technical foul was rescinded.
This season, the Michigan State product is averaging just 5.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.1 steals while shooting a woeful 34.6% from the field and 22.6% on 3-pointers. His value to the team goes beyond those numbers, but he needs to start performing better for the Warriors to be anything more than mediocre. Those shooting numbers are especially awful and need to be improved to help out Curry.