LOS ANGELES — Teammates slowly made their way off the court and back into the Warriors locker room. Eventually, Draymond Green’s only company by the end of the Warriors’ shootaround was a couple of assistant coaches working on drills and rebounding for him.
It was just a couple weeks earlier than Green was in L.A. and his teammates were opening training camp in San Francisco. His isolation on the Staples Center court Tuesday morning, however, was a reminder of the integral role the Warriors expect him to play in his 10th NBA season.
“I feel like I’m in a good place,” Green said before the Warriors’ preseason game against the Lakers on Tuesday. He was a healthy scratch, along with fellow star Stephen Curry, in preparation for a full “dress rehearsal” Friday in their final preseason game.
“It’s about to get real,” he continued. “I just want to make sure I’ve got my legs all the way under me, feeling good, moving the way my body’s supposed to be moving. … I feel like tonight is for me to get the body all the way right.”
On the court Tuesday morning, Green outlasted every one of his teammates while he put up shots and worked on pick and rolls and post maneuvers. Coach Steve Kerr has called on him to be more assertive on the offensive end.
Green scored the fewest points of his career last season, his third straight with a scoring average in the single digits. However, his star has hardly faded. He renewed his spot among the NBA’s first-team all-defense honorees (after a two-year run on the second team) and dished out the most assists of his career (8.9 per game).
“I always pass the ball. I mean, I think I’m pretty decent at it,” Green said. “That’s a huge part of my role in this offense, so I’m always gonna do that. But when the shot is there, take it.” He paused and smirked. “I’m gonna do that.”
Kerr took Green aside before the Warriors’ preseason opener in Portland. He delivered him a message: “I want you shooting two or three 3s every game. If you’re open let it fly.”
“He’s such a smart player,” Kerr said this week. “I just like when he’s aggressive. I like when he’s trying to score, whether it’s an open 3 or putting the ball on the floor, trying to get to the rim. When he scores, we tend to be a better team, so I want him aggressive.”
The Warriors are intent on spacing the floor and moving the ball, which could create more open looks for Green, who could at times be the team’s worst shooter and most physically imposing figure on the floor at 6-foot-6.
Green has made more than 33% of his 3-point attempts only once in his career, and he hasn’t shot better than 30% from deep in three seasons; he posted a career-low 27% mark last season.
His response to Kerr? “I’ll probably take like five.”
It’s true the Warriors are more successful when Green is putting the ball in the bucket.
In the 38 games in his career that Green has scored 20 or more points, the Warriors have only lost five times. When he touches 25, the Dubs are undefeated (5-0). But Kerr is merely counting on the threat.
“It seems like the defense has to honor him when he’s taking his open shots and aggressively attacking the hoop,” Kerr said. “The defense having to react to him is important.”