Stephen Curry loves it when his Golden State Warriors teammate Draymond Green is aggressive with his scoring.
With the Warriors looking for reliable scorers outside of Curry and newcomer D'Angelo Russell, Green is going to have to take a greater burden when it comes to offense. Without the likes of Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, the All-Star forward is going to have to look for his shot more, and Curry absolutely loves the idea.
Via Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic:
“I love it,” Curry said Friday. “That’s what you want to see.”
As Thompson details in his article, the eighth-year veteran seems to be well aware that his offensive usage will drastically increase this season in comparison to recent campaigns. Green had always operated as the third, fourth or fifth offensive option during the Warriors' dynasty years.
Entering this season, he could be Golden State's second offensive option on certain nights. Green's shot attempts went up in the last two preseason games, averaging 13 field goal attempts per game:
What this preseason showed, as it developed, is that Green knows this. The first two preseason games, he took seven shots total, with both makes being 3s. He rested the third preseason game. In the fourth, he took 14 shots and was much more aggressive offensively. In Friday’s preseason finale, he took another 12. Both encouragement and concern can be found in the last two high-usage offensive performances.
Last season, Green averaged just 6.4 field goal attempts as the fifth option on offense. For his career, he has put up just 7.5 field goal attempts per game.
If the Warriors want to remain in the playoff hunt until Thompson returns from injury in February, Green will have to continue to be aggressive with his shot and establish himself as a viable secondary offensive option for the first time in his career.