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EspañolWarriors stumble in non-Draymond Green minutes during loss to Clippers originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO – Draymond Green’s uneven performance this Warriors season has been a frequent topic of discussion in the streets of Dub Nation, with debate running hot in recent weeks and those ready to send him away winning more than their share.
Warriors coach Steve Kerr, however, consistently has defended Green, insisting his presence is essential to the best version of the team, which has been without Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler III since January.
Kerr received a dollop of evidence supporting his belief Monday night at Chase Center during the pivotal third quarter of a 114-101 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Warriors had led most of the game and were up 71-61 when Green was subbed out for Moses Moody with 4:37 left in the third quarter. LA star Kawhi Leonard had 14 points on eight field-goal attempts, with the ball rarely finding him behind Green’s bloodhound defense. Within a minute of Draymond going to the bench, Leonard drained a midrange jumper and two free throws. The Clippers were within six, closed with a 16-8 run and were within two entering the fourth quarter.
The complexion of the game changed during the non-Draymond minutes, with the Clippers moving in and taking control.
“He’s still one of the great defenders in the league,” Kerr said of Green. “And he set the tone in that first half, and we were able to sustain the lead for much of the third. But they went on a run late in the third quarter, and cut it to two going into the fourth. They had a lot of momentum.
“But we had to get him out. He can’t play the whole game. And he played 31 minutes, which is a lot for him at this stage. But that was the key stretch.”
Green, who turns 36 on Wednesday, averages 26.6 minutes per game and has topped 31 in only 11 of the 50 games in which he has played this season. No doubt he was stretched.
That stretch during which he sat touched off the avalanche that buried the Warriors, who were outscored 53-30 over the final 16:37. They had led by as much as 16 in the third quarter and then trailed by as much as 17 in the fourth. Leonard finished with a game-high 23 points.
“We weren’t able to sustain the energy that we needed defensively,” Al Horford said. “I still felt like we were going to be able to in the fourth quarter, kind of come back and win the game. Kawhi went on a great run and that kind of put it away.”
A game featuring two teams vying for NBA play-in tournament position suddenly vanished from the Warriors, leaving their record at 31-30, one game above .500 for the first time since Jan. 5.
Though Green was unavailable after the game – he has been uncharacteristically distant from media lately – his value on this night spoke volumes.
His presence, warts and all, still matters.
“One thousand percent,” De’Anthony Melton said. “What Draymond does especially on defensive end, it’s still in the top percentile.”
Green’s offense has taken the brunt of the criticism. He’s averaging 8.5 points per game, shooting 40.9 percent from the field, including 31.7 percent beyond the arc – where he generally gets open looks. He scored only four points on 1-of-5 shooting, all from deep, against the Clippers.
“Obviously, everyone’s going to talk about his shooting and stuff like that,” Melton said. “But at the same time, he’s Draymond. You know what I mean? Everybody acting like, this is something, that it’s just like new or that he’s changed his game. In some of these instances, we gotta hit shots. We gotta hit shots.
“I saw a graphic today showing the lowest-scoring All-Stars. And Draymond was an All-Star averaging 11 points (11.3 in 2017-18). Scoring has never been his emphasis.”
Is Green the same player he was eight seasons ago? No. No way. He was during that time a blur, blasting downcourt as an offensive playmaker and, on the other end, scrambling to defend three or four opponents in one possession.
But there are times when his presence matters greatly. There haven’t been many such times this season, as the Warriors have put away several games during non-Draymond minutes down the stretch.
But this game, which came with stakes attached, is one in which his absence was a determining factor in an outcome the Warriors didn’t want.