Seven games into their season, five Warriors are shooting better than 40 percent beyond the arc and 3-point king Stephen Curry has not been the most accurate. He’s sixth, behind Buddy Hield, Moses Moody, Andrew Wiggins, Lindy Waters and the No. 1 guy: Draymond Green.
Green is shooting 52.6 percent from deep. He’s making them from the corners and from the wings. He’s lining them with confidence, letting them fly and watching most of them drop through the bottom of the net. He’s 10 of 19, on pace to exceed more than 200 triples for the first time in seven years.
“We always need aggressive Draymond, taking at advantage of mismatches in the post, shooting open 3s,” Curry said on NBC Sports Bay Area’s “Warriors Postgame Live.” “With the way [teams] guard us, the way the ball moves, I don’t care if he goes 0 of 10. It’s a matter of being aggressive and taking what the defense gives you, and he’s been doing a great of it so far.”
Yet opponents still consider Green a “non-shooter,” resulting in defenders continuing to observe from a distance, practically daring him to launch. Green can and will and should continue to accept that dare.
He embraced the dare on Monday night in Golden State’s tip-to-buzzer 125-112 win over the Wizards in Washington. Green scored 18 points, shooting 5 of 7 from the field, including 3 of 4 from deep and still had to hear trash talk from young Wizards forward Kyshawn George.
When George told Green “You can’t shoot,” he had ready response for the plucky 20-year-old from Switzerland.
“I said, ‘You’ve been watching people say that,’ ” Green recalled. “When you were in elementary school, you were watching me winning championships and people were saying the same thing.’ ”
Green also offered some advice for George.
“When we were going back and forth, I said, ‘Don’t help,’ ” Green said. “He said, ‘Yeah, I’m going to keep helping.’ I said, ‘I can’t help off you right now, and you can’t help off me right now.’ ”
All three of Green’s triples came in the second half and were significant because the Wizards never capitulated. His first 3-ball pushed Golden State’s lead from six to nine, his second from nine to 12, his third, with 4:11 left, put the lead back to 12.
George never really seemed concerned, despite the warning from Green. None of his four attempts from beyond were tightly contested, as was the case for nearly all his previous 15. It’s as if no team cares to guard him because their bigger fear is his teammates.
Curry implores them to keep that same strategy because it’s working for his longtime teammate.
“He’s made big shots in the fourth quarter, to keep us afloat, keep the momentum on our side,” Curry said of Green. “It’s always great when he’s feeling good and knocking them down. He’s always going to play great defense and bring the energy, but the offense is such a great bonus for us.”
As the Warriors walked out of Capital One Arena in the nation’s capital, they are shooting a collective 39.1 percent from distance. Behind Green is Buddy Hield at 50.0 percent, Moses Moody at 48.5, Andrew Wiggins at 44.8, Lindy Waters at 42.1 and Curry at 41.7. All six are averaging at least 2.5 attempts per game.
Draymond's 3-Point Shooting: Sustainable Success?
Green’s percentage is not sustainable. It’s bound to drop. But he shot 39.5 percent beyond the arc last season on 129 attempts. With the Warriors on pace to shoot a record number of 3s – with everybody except Kevon Looney and Trayce Jackson-Davis given the green light – his total could double this season.
“I think I’m a very good shooter,” Green said last week.
The numbers over his past 63 games, dating back to last season, support that. He’s shooting 41.2 percent from distance. Curry is shooting 40.9 percent, on much higher volume since the beginning of last season.
We know which shooter is superior. The one who bends defenses with his mere presence.
Draymond's 3-Point Threat: A New Weapon
But Green shoots 40 percent from deep against soft defense, it’s a win for the Warriors. If he shoots 40 percent from deep over a month sustained period, defenses will have to make a choice – and that’s also a win. It could alter the team’s offensive geometry. Imagine how dangerous the Warriors could be with another shooter. Consider, if you will, a lineup in which Draymond is, as my colleague Kerith Burke joked Monday night, a floor spacer.
This season, the Warriors look like a dangerous team again. They are one of the best teams in the NBA, and a lot of the reason is the success of Draymond Green’s 3-point shooting. It makes him even more effective. If Draymond can continue to hit 3s, he will be even more valuable and the Warriors will be even more dangerous. It remains to be seen if this level of 3-point shooting will become a sustainable part of his game, but for now, opponents are going to have to choose their poison: dare him to shoot, or let him dictate the pace and the game.
