Tag: Draymond Green

Draymond Green to take over point guard with D’Angelo Russell out

Something that makes Draymond Green special is his ability to play all over the court. His latest test will be to see if he can take over as the Warriors’ primary point guard.

It’s something that’s hard to fathom, but six of the Warriors’ eight guards are injured, with only rookies Jordan Poole and Ky Bowman currently available in the backcourt. Steve Kerr will have to be creative with who handles the ball during their injury-riddled road trip—enter Draymond Green.

Luckily for the Warriors, the former center of the “death lineup” can handle the rock nicely. Saturday night in New Orleans, Coach Kerr said “Draymond is really good in a facilitating role, so Draymond will handle the ball quite a bit,”

Anthony Slater of The Athletic reported the Warriors will start Draymond Green at point guard versus the New Orleans Pelicans. During the former Michigan State Spartan’s career, he’s started at center, power forward and now at point guard.

Earlier this season, Kerr said he needs to find ways to feature Green more on offense and this is the perfect opportunity.

Green’s always had an eye for passing over his career, averaging 4.9 assists. Green had a career-high 16 assists back in 2017, but the confidence in Green to take over point guard responsibilities doesn’t just come from his passing skillset.

Green is a floor general even if he’s not playing true point guard. He’s always been able to push the ball up the floor in his career, but even in half court sets, he can control the Warriors offense.

The biggest difference for Green will be the players surrounding him. He won’t have players like Kevin Durant, Curry and Thompson to dish the rock too, so the offense will have to go through him alone.

When Green makes his debut at the point, the Warriors will have started five different players at point guard through only 14 games this season. Green’s switch will mark the Dubs’ 10th different starting lineup this season according to Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle.

Green leading the way at the point will give the Warriors their biggest lineup of the season with him surrounded by Willie Cauley-Stein, Eric Paschall, Alec Burks, and Glenn Robinson III. No player in the starting lineup will be listed under 6-foot-6.

The big lineup should give the Warriors league-worst defense a boost versus the Pelicans, who are also dealing with an array of injuries.

The Warriors lead NBA in games missed with injury by a staggering clip

Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry were just the start of the Warriors injury concerns. After 13 games, the Warriors lead the NBA with games missed due to injuries and the next team isn’t even close.

When Klay Thompson left Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals with a knee injury, the Golden State Warriors immediately had to start thinking of ways to replace their three-time All-Star for 2020. Then the offseason came and Kevin Durant departed for the Brooklyn Nets, leaving Golden State in uncharted territory. Replacing two All-Stars is hard enough, but that was just the tip of the iceberg for the Warriors’ 2019-20 season.

The Dubs started the season thin, then two-time MVP Stephen Curry suffered a broken hand after only four games, followed by a tirade of injuries through the rest of the team. Core players like Draymond Green and D’Angelo Russell have missed time, with role players like Jacob Evans and Alec Burks also out. The injury bug has torn through the Warriors roster from top to bottom.

  • Klay Thompson: 13 (ACL)
  • Alen Smailigic: 13 (Ankle)
  • Kevon Looney: 12 (Hamstring & Neuropathic)
  • Jacob Evans: 10 (Groin)
  • Stephen Curry: 9 (Hand)
  • Draymond Green: 5 (Finger)
  • D’Angelo Russell: 3 (Ankle & Thumb)
  • Alec Burks: 3 (Ankle)
  • Willie Cauley-Stein: 3 (Foot)
  • Damion Lee 2: (Hand)
  • Omari Spellman: 1 (Ankle)

Count that 74-total games missed with injuries according to Sportrac.com, with the next closest team being the Indiana Pacers at 46.

Glenn Robinson III, Jordan Poole, and Ky Bowman are the only players with Golden State to suit up for every game this season. Marquese Chriss and Eric Paschall have each missed a game due to coach’s decision, but have played in 12 of the team’s 13 other games. This number will continue to grow as players like Curry, Thompson, Russell, and Lee aren’t expected back soon.

The good news is they might have reinforcements on the way. The team announced Looney, Evans, and Smailigic will get reevaluated by team doctors on Wednesday. There should be new timetables set for their return post evaluation and the news can’t come sooner for the depleted Dubs.

The Warriors will kick off the first of a four-game road trip versus the similarly injury-laden New Orleans Pelicans. The Pels are one of the Dub’s two wins on the season, but each team will carry thin rotations this time around.

How Steve Kerr will craft a lineup with only nine healthy will be his newest challenge in a year full of tests for the championship coach.

Steve Kerr reveals who he’ll lean on in D’Angelo Russell’s absence

The Warriors are already thin due to injuries, but now with D’Angelo Russell out, they’ll have to dig deep to replace his production.

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Add D’Angelo Russell to the latest injury report that’s already full of All-Star talent.

Russell left Friday night’s game versus the Boston Celtics with a hand injury, and the next day, the Warriors announced the Kentucky native will miss at least the next two weeks with a sprained right thumb.

The injury couldn’t come at a worse time, as Russell was on a scoring heater the team needed. Before the Warriors squared off against the league-best Boston Celtics, Russell scored 20 or more points in five-straight games. In that span, he averaged 33.2 points per game with three 30-plus point games, including his first-ever 50-point effort.

Not only was Russell the Dub’s offensive initiator, but the primary ball handler with Stephen Curry out. How the Warriors replace Russell’s production over the next two weeks will be Steve Kerr’s latest challenge.

On Saturday night in New Orleans, Kerr told reporters he’d turn to Draymond Green for help with ball-handling responsibilities.

“Draymond is really good in a facilitating role, so Draymond will handle the ball quite a bit,” said the coach of the Warriors.

Over the former Defensive Player of the Year’s career, he’s been able to bring the ball up the court with success, but this time he won’t have a bevy of All-Star’s surrounding him. It’s safe to believe opponents will try to test Green when he’s tasked with being the primary ball-handler.

Green’s skillset is built for the defensive end of the floor, but an injury-riddled season is putting pressure on Green to pick it up on offense.
Kerr said the Saginaw, Michigan product won’t be the only player listed as a ball-handler.

“Draymond will play a lot of point and Ky will have the ball in his hands quite a bit,” said Kerr.

If Warriors fans are looking to take away a positive from early in the season, it’s the Boston College product, Ky Bowman. The two-way guard will now be entrusted to take over point guard responsibilities with Russell out.

The undrafted rookie has been a pleasant surprise since training camp and he will now get the opportunity to play big minutes due to the Warriors’ lack of guards.

Bowman isn’t letting the probable increase in playing time phase him, though.

“I just go out there and play my role,” Bowman said to reporters Saturday. “If that’s scoring, if that’s defense, just play my role. At the end of the day, it’s whatever they need.”

The Warriors can try to band-aid their need for a ball-handler, but there’s still the massive hole in scoring production with Russell out.

Alec Burks is a player highlighted to step up in Russell’s absence. He led the Warriors in points versus Boston, before that he’s posted scoring clips of 28, 23 and 18 on the season. Burks has been a steady slashing forward over his career, but the Warriors now need to depend on Burks to fill the stat sheet up.

The wildcard scoring option is struggling rookie Jordan Poole, who has a pretty shot but hasn’t seen it go in much this season. If the rookie is going to figure out the pro game, now would be a good time to start. Poole will need to mimic his college form where he recorded several 20-plus point performances as a Michigan Wolverine. Through the first 13 games of his NBA career, the struggling rookie is connecting on just 27.3 percent of his shots.

No matter what lineup Kerr and company can craft, it’ll be hard to replace the production of a former All-Star like Russell.

While they try, it’ll be a good opportunity to see what the Warriors have in players like Burks, Bowman, and Poole.

Steve Kerr raves about new ‘excellent’ defensive-minded starting unit

The Warriors nearly scored a major upset over the NBA-leading Boston Celtics thanks in part to a new starting lineup on Friday night.

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While it wasn’t a win the Golden State Warriors, Steve Kerr likes what he saw from the team in Friday night’s 105-100 loss to the Boston Celtics.

In particular, the level of effort from a team riddled with injuries to critical players—now including All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell, who exited the game in the third quarter with a sprained thumb after logging 12 points and seven assists—was promising.

The home crowd was engaged as a result, with the game within a possession or two for much of the contest.

“Warriors fans have always appreciated high-energy, hustle, toughness and competition,” said Kerr (via Let’sGoWarriors). “You could feel it in the building tonight. Our fans really enjoyed watching our guys compete and that’s important.”

“We want people to come into this building and be excited about our team and it’s been a rough start, but I think if we can compete that way and play that way we are going to win some games and our fans will enjoy what we are doing,” the coach offered, alluding to the difficulty of putting posteriors in the seats of the team’s new arena with so many marquee players riding pine while recuperating.

Kerr tinkered with the lineup in the hopes of finding some traction after dropping the previous five games, going with a more defensively-oriented approach. Rookie standout, Eric Paschall entered the lineup to play next to Draymond Green.

“We just wanted to take a different look,” explained the coach. Struggling rookie, Jordan Poole, who started the previous eight games was sent to the bench as a result.

“We had lost five games in a row and we wanted just to see Eric [Paschall] and Draymond [Green] play together. We like the physicality that brought to our defense and so we had a more physical front line with both Eric and Draymond and Willie [Cauley-Stein].”

“We give up a little something in spacing, but we pick up something defensively and we get a look at,” he continued, noting a shift away from the offensive onslaught the team has depended on so long in the absence of effective shooters.

A move to rely more on defense to keep the team close against superior scoring teams (Golden State currently is in 17th place for points scored per game in the league) nearly paid off against the league-leading Celtics, and should provide dividends against lesser opponents.

“I thought the defense was excellent, we didn’t turn the ball over for the first nine minutes or so and we executed offensively”, noted Kerr. “The game is so connected, when we were taking care of the ball our defense was great.”

“As soon as we started turning it over the defense struggled and it’s no coincidence,” he explained, referring to the Dubs issues finding their defensive footing when reacting to the team’s many second-half turnovers, including a few key late ones.

“It’s hard to guard a fast-break when you’re just not in position, so the turnovers shifted the tide of the game but I was really proud of the way the guys fought back and took the lead, and the hung in there and we had a chance.”

“We just couldn’t get it done,” he added.

On to the next one.

3 things to watch in the Warriors’ game against the Pelicans

The Golden State Warriors are 2-11 through their first 13 games of the 2019-20 NBA season.

The Golden State Warriors are in the midst of a temporary rebuild this season and have two wins through 13 games.

Despite injuries to Steph Curry, D’Angelo Russell and Draymond Green affecting their rocky start, the Warriors have made strides.

The Warriors lost 105-100 against the Boston Celtics on Friday night, allowing their second-fewest number of points. The fewest points they’ve allowed was 93 in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Nov. 2.

As the Warriors continue to grow, they’ll play the New Orleans Pelicans on the road Sunday. The Pelicans are one of two teams Golden State has defeated this season, with the other being the Portland Trail Blazers.

Will the Warriors continue good defense in New Orleans?

After the Warriors’ loss to the Celtics, coach Steve Kerr praised his team’s quality defensive performance.

The Warriors allowed their lowest field goal percentage of the season, as the Celtics shot 40.7% from the field.

“We played our best defensive game of the year…It was the first night, all year, I thought we looked like we knew what were doing defensively,” Kerr said, per The Athletic’s Anthony Slater. 

This season, the Warriors rank 29th in opponent field goal percentage and last in opponent 3-point field goal percentage.

When they defeated the Pelicans on Oct. 28, the Pelicans shot 46.6% from the field and 31.9% from the 3-point line.

Rebounding Growth

The Warriors grabbed 55 rebounds against the Celtics, tying their second-highest number of rebounds for the season.

This season Golden State ranks 20th in rebounds per game (44.4), a decrease from last season when they ranked 11th. Willie Cauley-Stein is Golden State’s top rebounder this season, averaging 6.3 rebounds a game.

The Pelicans rank 12th in rebounds per game, with Derrick Favors and Brandon Ingram being the team’s top two rebounders. Along with Favors and Ingram, Jrue Holiday, Kenrich Williams and Josh Hart each average at least five rebounds a game.

Alec Burks’ quality play off the bench

In nine games coming off the bench, Alec Burks has been the Warriors’ best reserve.

Burks has averaged 13.2 points a game off the bench this season, ranking 18th among bench players in the league, according to NBA.com. 

On Friday night against the Celtics, Burks had a team-high 20 points on 4-of-11 shooting. He also had three rebounds and an assist. With Burks starting the season well, it’ll be important for him to consistently bring a spark off the bench.

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Draymond Green showers praise on young Warriors despite Celtics loss

Not usually one to celebrate moral victories, not even Draymond Green could deny the young Warriors’ evident progress on Friday night.

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The Hospital Dubs may not be winning, but they are growing, and Draymond Green is helping the process yield results.

Even though the Golden State Warriors didn’t finish the job against the Boston Celtics at home last night, the team’s new defensive lineup and response to losing yet another player in D’Angelo Russell (sprained thumb) impressed the eight-year veteran.

In particular, the team’s young roster stepped up in a big way, nearly stealing the match from Boston. “They’re getting more and more comfortable with more experience and they’re learning how to be more physical,” Green explained (via Let’sGoWarriors).

“When you’re physical as a young guy you rack up a lot of fouls”, he continued. “They’re learning how to do that without fouling which is key for us.”

Concerning the team’s new defensive approach, the Michigan native said, “I do like the lineup. We’re switching a little more which I think keeping the ball out of the paint … was key tonight. Trying to keep the ball out of the paint and we did a better job of that.”

Green was specifically called on by coach Steve Kerr to initiate the offense more after Russell went down with a sprained thumb in the third quarter. The ploy worked surprisingly well, and may be something they turn to more in the future. “We’ll see where it goes when [Russell] is back and if he’s not I’ll have to handle it even more”, he offered.

“I thought it worked pretty well for us tonight. We gave ourselves the chance to win the game and make some plays down the stretch, some things that we can get better and tighten up on but overall I thought it was pretty solid for us.”

With so many key players unavailable, the team will need to get creative in the hopes of stealing some games from unwary opponents like Boston, who seemed to think they’d be facing a team unwilling or unable to put up a fight early in Friday night’s game.

While it would be easy to take games off in light of the team’s current situation, Green and the rest of the Warriors have no such intentions, even in the midst of the worst losing streak the team has faced under Steve Kerr’s tenure.

“It sucks to keep seeing guys go down but we got that bug right now so we have to keep fighting and do all we can to stay healthy,” said Green.

“Sometimes [expletive] just happens.”

Indeed it does — and in bunches, evidently.

LeBron drops 23 and 12 as Lakers take care of Warriors at home

LeBron James had a solid night as the Los Angeles Lakers notched a win without superstar forward Anthony Davis on Wednesday.

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LeBron James had 23 points and 12 assists on Wednesday night to help the Los Angeles Lakers hold off a depleted Golden State Warriors squad on Wednesday night.

LeBron’s performance in the 120-94 victory was one of several that helped the Lakers overcome the absence of starting forward Anthony Davis, who missed Wednesday’s game due to shoulder and rib injuries.

Kyle Kuzma scored 22 points in the spot-start for Davis, going 7-of-12 from the field. Former Warrior JaVale McGee also had his best game of the season: 18 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks.

As for Golden State, former Lakers draft pick D’Angelo Russell led the way with 21 points. And while the Warriors made the Lakers sweat at times, they were out of winning range with plenty of time left for the Lakers to seal the deal.

The Lakers did get another kind a scare late in the game when Kentavious Caldwell-Pope went down with an apparent ankle injury. Luckily for them, the Lakers will have a few more days at home, with their next game being at Staples Center on Nov. 15 against the Sacramento Kings.

Eric Paschall says Draymond Green has helped him ‘a lot’ this season

The Warriors’ breakout rookie often talks to Draymond Green on ways to improve his game and learn the ins and outs of the NBA.

Eric Paschall has emerged as one of the top rookies so far this season.

The second-round pick has burst onto the scene for the Golden State Warriors essentially out of need. The Warriors have had a bad case of the injury bug this season with 11 players missing at least one game due to injury. Of course, that includes Stephen Curry, who is out indefinitely after breaking his hand, and Klay Thompson, who is out all year with a torn ACL.

But, as they say, injuries create opportunity and Paschall has fully taken advantage. He entered the NBA Draft touted as a player that can contribute immediately, which is exactly what he has done. He is averaging 15.6 points per game, good for fourth among all rookies. He was the first Warriors rookie since Curry to record 25 points in back-to-back games.

His hard work to this point can be attributed to his strong rookie start but he has also leaned on the Warriors’ veterans for advice, like Draymond Green. Paschall recently stopped by SportsCenter for an interview and praised the former Defensive Player of the Year.

He is just a great dude off of the court and is always having fun, always trying to bring energy on and off of the court. Learning from him has helped me a lot just because he sees the game in so many different ways and he is so smart. I just try to pick his brain however way I can and just keep trying to learn.

Paschall has been among the first-year players to emerge seemingly out of nowhere and it has been a revelation for the Warriors. They have found some key role players in the past and the former Villanova forward is yet another example.

While the Warriors could very well miss the playoffs this season after a 2-9 start, the emergence of Paschall has been encouraging and he does not appear to be slowing down any time soon.

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Draymond Green explains why he was ejected against Jazz on Monday

Draymond Green spoke his mind on Monday night, and he paid for it.

Draymond Green made his return to the Warriors lineup on Monday night when the club hosted the Utah Jazz at Chase Center, but his night ended a tad earlier than that of his teammates.

Green was ejected with about 8:30 remaining in the game’s fourth quarter and with Golden State trailing Utah by 13 points. They would eventually lose, 122-108.

It was Green’s first action since November 1, as a torn ligament in his left index finger has kept him on the shelf for the past five games.

Noticeably rusty, Green would finish the night with just four points on 2-for-7 shooting from the field. He did also have seven rebounds and four assists, though.

The fateful play that led to his ejection occurred after Mike Conley collided with Green. Green naturally wanted a charge, but a block was called. Official Sean Wright gave Green a technical for arguing and when Draymond was persistent in his complaint, Wright gave him a second technical foul, disqualifying him from the contest.

After the contest, Green explained himself and also passively told us that his persistence in arguing the call was a result of Wright telling him “Don’t talk.”

According to ESPN’s Nick Friedell, the following were Green’s comments on the incident:

“I disagreed with that call,” Green explained after the game. “And I’m never going to be OK with another grown man telling me, ‘Don’t talk.’ If you feel like you got the call wrong, or right, you don’t tell me not to talk. I’m a grown man. I got my own kids. So that’s what happened.”

Green also spoke a bit about what it’s like playing without Stephen Curry and what he will have to do to bust up the rust that his five-game absence may have caused to accumulate.

“Just got to get a rhythm again — and my wind,” Green said. “Ten days, opened those lungs up like you do in the game, it’s a little different. Obviously, I wasn’t able to practice or nothing. We had [Sunday] off, and the team was gone for a week, so I haven’t been able to play. I’ve just been working out, and that’s always different; so I just got to get my wind back, but that will come back pretty fast.”

With Monday’s ejection, Green became the first player to be ejected from a contest at Chase Center—a distinction that nobody is surprised he earned.

The Warriors will next travel to Los Angeles to do battle with the Lakers on Wednesday night.

Draymond Green returned to the lineup only to get ejected versus Jazz

Draymond Green’s first night back ended a tad bit prematurely.

Draymond Green started the game for the Golden State Warriors on Monday night, but he wasn’t around to finish it. With about 8:30 remaining in what would eventually become a 122-108 loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday night, Green was ejected.

Considering the fact that it was the first game that Draymond suited up for since November 1, it was quite comical.

It was also quite Draymond.

The fateful play that led to Green being whistled for two technical fouls and disqualified for the contest occurred when Green was whistled for the blocking foul against Utah’s Mike Conley.

Green, who hit the deck pretty hard, was whistled for two technical fouls after arguing the adverse whistle. For what it’s worth, it certainly appears as though he had a point, but it also appears as though he was angling to get tossed. The official that sent him to the showers early gave Green a lot of rope before doing so.

The Warriors’ emotional leader now has earned the dubious distinction of being the first player to be ejected from a game at Chase Center. No surprise there.

With the loss, the Warriors have now lost four games in a row after last week’s feel-good upset over the Portland Trail Blazers. They’ll next travel to Los Angeles where they’ll do battle with LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Lakers on Wednesday night.

Green will likely start that contest, as well. Hopefully this time, though, he’ll be around to finish it.