Draymond Green's Real Job Is Defense, and Last Season He Didn't Do It
Green's minutes are safe with two starters out until December, but the numbers say his defensive anchor role slipped last season, and that is the job he actually needs to reclaim.
Draymond Green will play heavy minutes early with Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody both sidelined until December 1. Last season his defensive rating fell to 113.6 and his net rating to -4.3, and the two lineups that used him best no longer have the extra pieces that made them work.
A Bigger Job By Default
Green turns 36 this season and is not on the injury report, unlike Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody, who are both out until December 1. At 27.5 minutes a game across 68 games last season, Green was already the most available piece of this core, and his workload does not shrink now that two rotation regulars are sidelined. He carries a $27.7 million salary into a season where he may be needed more, not less, before either returns.
The Defense Slipped
Golden State has always asked Green to be a defensive hub first, and the numbers went the wrong way last season. His defensive rating was 113.6, his net rating -4.3, both worse than the team's own -0.5 mark. His usage stayed low at 15.8 percent and his true shooting settled at 54.0 percent on 4.6 three-point attempts a game, so scoring was never the ask. The ask was defense, and by the rating, it did not show up.
The Best Lineup No Longer Exists
Green's strongest five last season, with Curry, Butler, Kuminga and Podziemski, posted a net rating of plus-16.9 and a defensive rating of 102.8, the best of any grouping logged, over 65 minutes. The five that actually played the most, with Curry, Butler, Moody and Post, ran a defensive rating of 119.9 across 125 minutes, the worst of the three. Neither Kuminga nor Post is on this season's roster, so the group that defended best and the group that played most are both gone.
What He Needs To Be
The playmaking held up: Green's assist rate was 27.8 percent, still the hub of the offense. What camp needs to answer, with his workload set to rise before the two return, is whether he can make whatever five takes the floor defend the way his best group once did. His rebounding rate was 9.8 percent. The job has not changed since 2015. Whether he can still do it at 36 is the open question.
What is Draymond Green's role for the Warriors this season?
With Jimmy Butler III and Moses Moody out until December 1, Green is set up for heavy, connective minutes as Golden State's defensive hub rather than a scoring option.
How did Draymond Green perform last season?
He averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists over 68 games, but his defensive rating of 113.6 and net rating of -4.3 were below the standard the role requires.
