The Unique Impact of Draymond Green

86.4 that's the current win percentage of the golden state warriors in an 82 game season that's a record of 71 and 11. while their offense has been exceptional behind the greatness of mvp candidate steph curry it's actually their smothering defense that has been the recipe for such a hot start rightfully so draymond green has quickly emerged as a favorite to win the defensive player of the year award but just how much value does he add on that end of the floor is his elite passing and off ball play enough to make him a positive on offense despite a very limited scoring arsenal and when you put it all together is he an all-nba level player [Music] it's no secret that a majority of draymond green's value as a player comes on the defensive side of the ball showcasing a combination of length iq and versatility that could only be matched by few in nba history whereas most traditional defensive anchors tend to stand around seven feet tall at just 6'6 draymond controls that end of the floor as well as anyone he seems to always be a step ahead of the offense able to quickly dissect exactly how they're looking to attack and positioning himself to turn away the biggest threat to score here he's tasked with chasing gary trent jr on this relocation but quickly communicates a switch with curry after recognizing that siacom is looking to drive he then puts himself in perfect position to protect the rim from this layup on this one draymond first roams into the lane to help cover the high pick and roll after that fizzles out he slides over to tag the cutting isaac okoro then he quickly recovers to the corner man where he can blow up this dribble drive with one swipe at the ball it's this constant activity and knowledge of where and when to place himself that makes him a nightmare in help situations and his agility allows him to recover to his man at will here he's got both feet in the restricted area by the time jack gets in the lane forcing an awkward kickout pass that he gets a hand on before recovering for the rare three-point block except when it comes to draymond it's actually not so rare consistently roaming near the paint to bother potential inside threats while limiting the effectiveness of kickout passes with those elite recoveries this is most noticeable when he's playing on the weak side of the floor and it's how he's able to prevent so many points at the rim despite his smaller stature of course it helps that he was blessed with a 7-1 wingspan but it's how well he uses his length that makes him such a strong rim protector he's so good at targeting the ball while in the air that even the league's craftiest finisher struggle obtaining a better angle upon release and the timing on his jumps makes it very difficult to get the ball over him he rarely ever makes the mistake of not going completely vertical on these contests except for when he goes to his signature backwards jump you'll often see him jump back instead of straight up when challenging slashers a move he's been doing for the better part of a decade this throws off the balance of players moving downhill as they're expecting to hit a body and that length allows him to still target the ball and affect the shot these techniques are maximized through his ability to cover ground while in a back pedal it's almost impossible for attacking offensive players to catch him off balance because of just how well he controls his body this helps him when defending the pick and roll where he's able to overplay the ball handler just enough to limit the threat of a pull-up jumper while still sliding back into position to prevent the roll man from scoring he often blows up lobs in the same way baiting guards into a false sense of security before pouncing on the ball again showcasing that ridiculous timing purse energy's tracking data opposing players are shooting just under 26 from the field with draymond green defending the pick and roll and with just over 0.5 points allowed per possession he ranks in the 92nd percentile so far this season he doesn't always play in between in these spots though oftentimes you'll see golden state switch on these screens because of just how capable he is defending on the perimeter he moves his feet extremely well quickly reacting to the movement of offensive players as he constantly readjusts his stance to cut off potential driving angles his goal is to force players to shoot over him where he can rely on his length and timing to bother on the contest when defending larger wings he can pressure the ball a bit more without having to worry about quick changes of direction which is where he's at his best as a man defender you'll often see him swipe at the ball on these players with looser handles and his quick hands allow him to alter passes thrown right in front of his face this is a pretty big staple of his own ball defense the ability to cut off potential cutting routes and entry passes with his absurd reaction time you'll see this a lot when he's defending the high pick and roll this time as the ball handler positioning himself to prevent the ball from getting to the roller and alter every attempt to do so in the post he uses his center of gravity well to not get moved off his position and he may have a trick or two up his sleeve for fouling in these spots without getting called he's good at poking the ball out when they bring it low or put it on the deck and he's got great instincts for blowing up entry passes however these strengths don't do much against the league's more disciplined post scores as his lack of size allows these players to seal him off down low and finish right over him it's for this reason i wouldn't quite consider him a tier 1 rim protector but he's good enough to serve as the primary one on an elite defense allowing him to position himself where he can see the entire floor and communicate all screens switches and help coverages brings the best out of his teammates and makes him one of the best team defenders the game has ever seen draymond's ability to elevate his team defensively when paired with his own individual game makes him a defensive anchor to the highest degree golden state is currently forcing the fourth most turnovers while allowing the lowest field goal percentage in the entire nba and with all of those missed shots it's important to secure rebounds while draymond isn't out there grabbing 14 boards a game he's still very valuable on the defensive glass you'll often see him guide the ball into the hands of teammates with controlled tips and he boxes out as well as anyone he's more than capable of closing these possessions on a consistent basis and when paired with his abilities as a primary rim protector this allows him to play lots of minutes at the 5. he's the ultimate small ball engine not only because of how much he does defensively at that position but how it impacts the offense he turns defensive stops into transition opportunities at will pushing the ball full speed down the middle of the court to open up teammates sometimes he'll take these all the way to the corner for backdoor cuts or he'll just take it all the way to the rim himself if nobody's going to stop him he's also one of the better outlet passers in the game consistently hitting teammates in stride as they get out on the break in many ways he controls the pace of the game when these options fizzle out he'll just slow it down and initiate the warriors half court offense draymond is usually serving as an exploitative passer surveying the floor as off-ball actions take place and making decisions based on how the defense reacts it feels like he's incapable of making the wrong read at times often anticipating openings before they even appear and placing the ball perfectly this is especially noticeable when he plays next to steph maximizing the value of that unique off-ball gravity through his quick hitting dimes to cutters he's not afraid to take risks when passing the ball and because of how good he is operating with tight windows he's able to make tons of high leverage assists while keeping his turnovers relatively low while most of his initiation does come from the perimeter he's also used quite a bit as a post playmaker more of the same reading off ball actions and hitting cutters or shooters the moment they open up and although he isn't hakeem olajuwon sometimes he'll even catch defenders off guard with a quick spin move and finish at the rim he's actively involved in gerbil handoffs to free up shooters and when he feels that his man is jumping out on the screen he'll fake it into a hard dribble drive he's not a prominent advantage creator for his team but he's amazing at working with those advantages created by others this is most noticeable when he's playing off the ball more specifically in the short roll both steph curry and jordan pool create a decent amount of 4 on 3 opportunities after drawing a double in the high pick and roll allowing draymond to make decisions while going downhill if the big steps up to cut off his drive he'll counter with a quick and effortless lob to whoever's in the dunker spot if a corner defender rotates to prevent that from happening he'll kick it out to the open shooter and if everyone is too occupied with whoever they're guarding he'll just do it himself this is a testament to just how crazy his processing speed actually is instantly reacting to however the defense moves and making the most efficient play possible he's able to compensate for his lack of a consistent outside shot in this way often catching the ball and bouncing straight into a gerbil handoff to catch the defense off guard or re-screening himself to help shooters easily relocate he's almost always available as a quick and easy passing outlet for giving goes and this allows him to easily flow into a two-man game with anyone both on the perimeter and in the post although he's never been a very good scorer so far this season he's been getting to the rim at a very respectable rate if we look at the percentage of field goal attempts at the rim each year of his career only that magical 2016 season is higher this has had quite the effect on his overall scoring efficiency again only second to 2016 and that's with him shooting a career low from the free throw line who knows exactly how long this holds up but in its current standing i feel comfortable saying his scoring hasn't been much of a detriment to the team and with everything else he does on offense at a high level i would say he's probably a neutral to very small positive on the defensive end he may very well be the best in the entire game right now and when you combine the two that right there is an all nba level player despite averaging an uninspiring triple single and having a very limited scoring arsenal there's no denying how valuable draymond green is on the basketball court adding impact in some of the most unique ways in nba history [Music] if you enjoyed this breakdown make sure to drop a like subscribe and turn my post notifications on to be first on more content if you're interested in my more in-depth research make sure to check out my website podcast and social media profiles you can find those links in the description feel free to let me know down in the comments where you think draymond green stacks up in the defensive player of the year conversation and what the war you're stealing as a team is as always i hope you all have a great day and i'll catch you guys in the next one [Music]

Channel: Hoop Venue

Views: 28,382

Keywords: nba, draymond green, golden state warriors, nba highlights, nba full game highlights, basketball, draymond green defense, draymond green highlights, warriors, warriors highlights, nba dpoy so far, the unique impact of draymond green, nba breakdown, nba film breakdown, nba defense, draymond green dpoy, draymond green passing, how good is draymond green, Hoop Venue, draymond green analysis, draymond green breakdown, draymond green defense breakdown, draymond green impact, draymond

Id: T78oIanRa8Q

Length: 10min 18sec (618 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 05 2021