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Steve Kerr Gets Honest About Draymond Green’s Plummeting Stats

Steve Kerr Gets Honest About Draymond Green’s Plummeting Stats

Draymond Green was always considered an integral part of the Golden State Warriors’ half-decade of NBA dominance. Due in no small part to his unique skill set, the team won three separate championships and made five total NBA Finals showings.

Along the way, Green picked up his fair share of individual accolades. In 2017 he was the league’s Defensive Player of the Year. From 2016 to 2018 he earned three All-Star nods, three All-Defensive First Team placements and two All-NBA Team slots.

When the Warriors were really good and Green was at the top of his game, he was one of the NBA’s best players. There’s a reason Drake couldn’t get enough of him. Unfortunately, 2021 hasn’t been a great year for him.

This season, Green is averaging 4.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 1.2 steals in 26.6 minutes action per game. If you throw out his rookie year, the 30-year-old’s scoring and rebounding totals are hovering at career low levels.

From a scoring efficiency standpoint, Green is shooting 34.6 percent from the field and just 22.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Given how precipitously Green’s numbers have fallen off, the topic was broached recently with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr.

Is he concerned with the statistical decline?

“He’s engaged and he’s competing and he’s helping the young guys, and that’s what I’m looking for,” Kerr said, per Wes Goldberg of the East Bay Times.

Part of Green’s problem is conditioning. He missed all of training camp and preseason after a positive coronavirus test result and a foot injury, so although he is currently in the lineup, he is not playing up to his optimal level. He acknowledged this on Saturday in a conversation with reporters and suggested he was one to two weeks away from really being in proper shape.

The Warriors are currently 11-9 on the year and sit in eighth place in the Western Conference. If the team hopes to fare any better than their current record would indicate they will, they’ll need Green to step up and return to form in some capacity.

Will he be able to do so? Time will tell. If he doesn’t, there is at least one team in the NBA who is very interested in acquiring him, so the Warriors will likely at least consider a possible trade.

Related: Steve Kerr’s Honest Reaction To Kelly Oubre Jr. Trade

Anthony Amador

A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.

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