For the first season of his career, Draymond Green switched to (almost) full time as a pivot. Capable of shifting to 5, as in the famous “Death Lineup” of the Warriors at the top, the 34-year-old spent 75% of his minutes in this role this season according to the specialist site Cleaning the Glass. And this is not without consequences for Golden State and its barker in chief. Particularly for the physique of the latter.
Draymond Green has been suffering from back pain for several weeks which requires daily treatment. The former Michigan State player was still uncertain about facing Memphis on Wednesday night. But before that, he had to go through extensive treatment. “ I expected a 10-25 minute stint on the doctor's table, it turned into 45-50 minutes » he relates at The Athletic. “ The 10 minutes of core training lasted 35. And the 10 minutes of shooting became 30. »
Positioned pivot to leave room for Jonathan Kuminga
The four-time NBA champion must go through this to face the physical challenge imposed by this repositioning in Steve Kerr's five. “ It's clearly more tiring in the pivot because you're involved in every possession. At post 4, you don't have to lunge for the ball every time. You may not have to protect the bounce on every action. In 5, you must perform a boxout every time. The pivots try to have the ball on every action. Just simple things like that, let's say 20 extra boxouts per match, that's contact, that's fighting. So it’s definitely more trying. »
More demanding perhaps, but necessary for the Warriors to perform well. The rise in power of Jonathan Kuminga this season involves the use of the Congolese as a strong winger, to better take advantage of his explosiveness. Neither Draymond Green nor Jonathan Kuminga represents real 3-point threats, Steve Kerr cannot associate the duo with a traditional pivot like Kevon Looney, without risking preventing any spacing.
“I was made for this”
“ He is better suited as a 5 in the modern game, everyone spreads the play and makes so many 3-point baskets » confirms the technician, who however found an alternative with the emergence of Trayce Jackson-Davis. “ We play Draymond with Trayce for a few minutes, we like this combination defensively. We appreciate that Trayce can be the player who recovers balls in the air and that Draymond can rule out the play. »
Even on a still small sample, the association is bearing fruit with a “Defensive Rating” of 94.6 when the tandem is aligned, compared to 116.2 collective average since the start of the season.
It remains that the idea can hold up over time, along with Draymond Green's body. “ I can do it, I'm made for this » however proclaims the person concerned. “ I'm not particularly worried about that because we have a five who are perfectly capable of taking over and doing what they need to do. »
| Draymond Green | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2012-13 | GOS | 79 | 13 | 32.7 | 20.9 | 81.8 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 0.7 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 2.9 |
| 2013-14 | GOS | 82 | 22 | 40.7 | 33.3 | 66.7 | 1.1 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 1.9 | 2.8 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 6.2 |
| 2014-15 | GOS | 79 | 32 | 44.3 | 33.7 | 66.0 | 1.4 | 6.8 | 8.2 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 1.6 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 11.7 |
| 2015-16 | GOS | 81 | 35 | 49.0 | 38.8 | 69.6 | 1.7 | 7.8 | 9.5 | 7.4 | 3.0 | 1.5 | 3.2 | 1.4 | 14.0 |
| 2016-17 | GOS | 76 | 33 | 41.8 | 30.8 | 70.9 | 1.3 | 6.6 | 7.9 | 7.0 | 2.9 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 10.2 |
| 2017-18 | GOS | 70 | 33 | 45.4 | 30.1 | 77.5 | 1.1 | 6.6 | 7.6 | 7.3 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 11.0 |
| 2018-19 | GOS | 66 | 31 | 44.5 | 28.5 | 69.2 | 0.9 | 6.4 | 7.3 | 6.9 | 3.0 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 7.4 |
| 2019-20 | GOS | 43 | 28 | 38.9 | 27.9 | 75.9 | 0.5 | 5.7 | 6.2 | 6.2 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 2.3 | 0.8 | 8.0 |
| 2020-21 | GOS | 63 | 32 | 44.7 | 27.0 | 79.5 | 0.9 | 6.3 | 7.1 | 8.9 | 3.1 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 0.8 | 7.1 |
| 2021-22 | GOS | 46 | 29 | 52.5 | 29.6 | 65.9 | 1.0 | 6.3 | 7.3 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 1.3 | 3.0 | 1.1 | 7.5 |
| 2022-23 | GOS | 73 | 32 | 52.7 | 30.5 | 71.3 | 0.9 | 6.3 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 3.1 | 1.0 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 8.5 |
| 2023-24 | GOS | 42 | 27 | 48.6 | 40.6 | 75.4 | 1.4 | 5.8 | 7.1 | 6.1 | 3.1 | 0.8 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 8.8 |
| Total | 800 | 29 | 45.0 | 31.9 | 71.3 | 1.1 | 5.9 | 7.0 | 5.6 | 2.9 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 8.7 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
