Without Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warriors were expectedly blown out by the West-leading San Antonio Spurs, 123-85, on Friday, never even getting close to making the hosts antsy en route to a 38-point beatdown.
However, the most striking nugget from that game is the fact that Draymond Green continues to look uninspiring without his longtime co-star.
Green played just 16 minutes with the game all but decided right in the middle of the first quarter, finishing the night with four points, three rebounds, three assists and two turnovers. He was also assessed a flagrant foul penalty 1 for shoving Victor Wembanyama, after which he headed to the locker room but returned in the second half.
Simply put, the former All-Star played poorly – a recurring theme when he plays without Curry, which the Dubs should not just gloss over.
Draymond Green simply looks unplayable for the Warriors when playing without Stephen Curry
So far, Green is turning in his worst numbers since his rookie campaign in the league. He is averaging just 3.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 7.1 assists per outing while shooting just 40.5 percent from the field and 23.1 percent from beyond the arc.
Green’s assist numbers and on-ball defense remain valuable for Golden State, but whenever Curry is sidelined, his value simply drops by a ton.
The Warriors offense is built around Curry moving without the ball and chasing space, with Green finding him and their other teammates who feed off of the superstar’s gravity. Without Curry, Green has been far less effective in all facets aside from defense.
Green generates zero gravity on his own. Given his waning age and his non-existent offense at this point, the Warriors should seriously consider further decreasing his role, especially when Curry sits.
The Warriors still have had a great start to the season, but if they want to sustain that, they must proactively address this growing problem with Green.
