The Golden State Warriors have managed to mend a slow start to the season but still look far from the well-oiled machine that breezed through the 2017 NBA playoffs or the team that captured back-to-back titles by sweeping their archenemies in the Cleveland Cavaliers. Warriors forward Draymond Green has gotten plenty of flack for his lackluster start to the season but as his teammate Kevin Durant noted, it's more than his lack of accuracy from long-range that is hurting the team.
Green is also not driving. He’s now down to 1.8 drives per game when at his peak (2015-16), he was attacking off the dribble 4.0 times per game (per NBA Advanced Stats).
“I hate when he hesitates. I hate when he is looking to pass when he should shoot,” Durant said of Green after Wednesday’s practice, according to Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “I tell him that all the time. That’s hard to figure that out as a player, especially when your game is facilitating and getting everybody the ball, when to turn that on and think about yourself.”
Following Durant's inclusion into the starting lineup, it wasn't Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson making the biggest sacrifice at the offensive end but Green, who went from being an opportunistic scorer to a trigger-shy power forward now doubting if he's the best option to take the shot with three (and soon-to-be four) All-Stars on the floor.
Green's hesitation to shoot and even to drive has resulted in erroneous and wild passes, airball threes and an all-around lack of offensive execution, given that the Warriors offense centers on taking the best shot and making the right play — two things he's impeded by hesitating to score the ball as he once did.
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