In this week's 10 things, we reveal newfound genius from Draymond Green, startling nostalgia for the ol' catch-and-shoot midranger and an introduction to the NBA's "Yoink!" god.
1. Draymond Green, eating up space again
The Green who once averaged 14 points and shot league average from deep is gone, but the current version will do just fine. Green is shooting 60% on 2s, and attacking the rim with a snarling bounce that hasn't been there since the Warriors were the Warriors.
Defenders ignore Green on the perimeter. Green's usual counter is pivoting into lightning-fast handoffs with Golden State's best shooters; if Green's defender is sagging 15 feet away, there is no one to meet Stephen Curry on the other side of those handoffs. That is death by fire from above.
But that's only one counter, and Curry only one teammate; he's not always nearby, and those handoffs are less dangerous with Jordan Poole, Damion Lee, or Andrew Wiggins. (That sound you hear is the rest of the league trembling in fear of Klay Thompson's return.)
For the Warriors to reclaim their throne, Green has to exploit open space in other ways. He's doing that, using it as a runway for drives:
Green sometimes starts running before even catching a pass. He has made good use of the baseline, exploding into rim-runs that are hybrids between cuts and drives:
The Warriors have scored an absurd 1.41 points per possession when Green shoots out of a drive, or dishes to teammate who fires -- tops by a mile among 192 guys with at least 50 drives, per Second Spectrum. He has one of the highest assist rates and lowest turnover rates among that sample. He is drawing shooting fouls at his career-best rate, and posting up mismatches again.
Green is a basketball genius. The more talent around him, the brighter that genius shines. Better teammates require more attention, and do more with whatever advantage Green gifts them. Green in turn needs less open space to do damage.