Golden State Warriors: Time to worry about Draymond Green’s slippage?

As the heart of the team, Draymond Green’s decrease in production might be a point of concern for the Golden State Warriors as the playoffs near.

Draymond Green is not the go-to scoring option for the Golden State Warriors. That title would belong to either Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant. In a pass-heavy offense, he’s not the primary initiator. He’s not even the guy Steve Kerr tasks with shutting down the opposing superstar, a task normally gifted to Klay Thompson.

Over the course of this dynastic run, his purpose has simply been to fill in all the cracks necessary to keep this team humming along at a championship level, even when the grind of the regular season may be wearing them down.

The full reach of his impact never truly shows up in the traditional box score, but to watch a Dubs game is to see him pushing the ball in transition to create open shots, wrestle with bigs while stopping point guards on consecutive possessions and bring a level of energy and intensity that sometimes crosses the line of straight disrespect — not that he cares.

Yet, as the Warriors go for their fifth consecutive appearance in the NBA Finals this season, there are a number of effort stats that point to a continuous decline from the former Defensive Player of the Year.

His defensive rating per 100 possessions is higher than in any of his previous seven seasons. He ranks 42nd in defensive win shares, six spots behind the supposed liability that is LeBron James, and he’s blocking his fewest shots per game since his sophomore season.

This is to say nothing of the continued drop in 3-point percentage from a respectable 38.8 percent during Golden State’s 73-win campaign to just 25.0 percent this season. It’s possible that one good run was an outlier for a guy whose next highest percentage in a season was just a little over 33.3 percent, or maybe it’s just another area of extended decline for the 29-year-old.

For as high of an IQ as he’s proven to have, Draymond’s game has always been about the energy and effort he brings to every possession, which is why he’s garnered the reputation as one of the game’s best defenders while functioning as the heart and soul of a Warriors team that has come to need him to light a fuse in times of disinterest.

But while extremely gratifying, the opportunity to appear in a fifth consecutive NBA Finals puts those traits — along with one’s mental fortitude — to the test, and this season, it’s clear that the accumulated toll continues to hit the hardest on Golden State’s undersized forward.

It’s very possible, though, that after the accumulation of so many extra minutes, Green has simply implemented the strategy of many others this time of year, conserving energy for when the games truly matter. After all, it’s a tactic he’s seemed to mastered over the years, leading the playoffs in defensive win shares in each of the last four seasons, including the 2017-18 title run where his defensive box plus/minus per 100 possessions ranked No. 1.

His game is not the type that will age well into his late 30s, and it’s also very possible and even likely he’s suffered if only just a little bit of wear and tear, but Draymond Green is a smart guy who has an understanding of his unique role within the team and what is required of him on a nightly basis.

So, for whatever struggles he seems to go through over the course of 82 games, the three championships in his back pocket along with a postseason effort on par with expectations should give him the benefit of the doubt as he tries to find motivation at a time where there really isn’t much to get up for.

That means he might not always look his best at every moment. There may even be times when he looks like a liability, but come playoff time, passion and desire won’t be a question for Draymond. In fact, if his reputation is any indication, they’ll be continuous pleas for him to tone it down.