Golden State Warriors: 5 keys to beating Raptors in 2019 NBA Finals
3. Continue to empower Draymond Green
Not a single person on Golden State has benefitted more from the absence of KD than Draymond Green, who’s been gifted the freedom to play the style that helped him rise to prominence as one of the best two-way players in the game.
In the four-game sweep of the Trail Blazers, he averaged 16.5 points, 11.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 2.8 blocks and 2.3 steals per game. His energy at both ends was at a level not seen in a long time, where he pushed the ball after makes and covered for his teammates on seemingly every possession, ranking No. 1 in field goal attempts defended.
This past regular season has been a tough one for Green. In his first non-All-Star campaign since 2014-15, his scoring average dropped to the worst of Golden State’s five-year run with the second-lowest Player Efficiency Rating and 3-point percentage of his career.
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His defensive prowess is built on physicality and a unique blend of speed and quickness that most guys his size don’t have. After four consecutive seasons spent playing into June, it was evident that the former Defensive Player of the Year had lost a step or two. And for as incredible a player as Durant is, his presence marginalizes Green’s contributions offensively, where he excels as a point forward both in transition and in a half-court setting.
Against the Blazers, the Warriors let their emotional leader loose, unencumbered by a four-time scoring champion who prefers a steady diet of isolation sets. Whereas he posted a career-worst usage rate of just 13.1 percent during the regular season, Draymond saw that number go all the way up to 21.6 percent in the conference finals.
Most NBA players need to be engaged in order to give maximum effort. It’s a flawed but understandable way of operation. Draymond Green is no different, and he’s got the numbers to back it up. Independent of Durant’s status, the Warriors have to recognize the difference in his energy and allow him to continue playing some of the best basketball of his career.