Draymond Green is one of the most controversial figures in the NBA, thanks to how he impacts the game. There is no doubt that his defensive and playmaking abilities make him an extremely important piece for the Golden State Warriors, but in recent years, his shooting has deteriorated quite a bit, and some of the fouls he gets away with have left fans bewildered, even in these playoffs.
Green hit some important shots in the Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Mavericks, but overall, his shooting performance from beyond the arc throughout the playoffs has been quite poor. Normally, this wouldn’t be too much of a story, especially considering that the Warriors have won all their series convincingly, but there’s a reason fans have taken notice.
In April, Green spoke about how it was time for him to start shooting 40% from three-point range, and he seemed quite confident when he gave the quote as well:
“This is my time of the year when I hit shots, though… so you know how those teams be playing me, I love that. It’s about that time of the year that I start shooting 40 (percent) from three.”
But in reality, in 18 games played during these playoffs, Green has shot just 21.4% from distance. He is sitting at 0.3 three-pointers made per game, which means he has made just 6 threes throughout this entire run for the Warriors. A far cry from his promise to start splashing them in at what would be considered an excellent rate.
This is unlikely to matter if the Warriors win the championship, and Draymond impacts the game in many other ways than shooting, but if his slump continues and the Celtics win, Green can expect a significant amount of criticism for his bold statement. With the series tied at 1-1 currently, though, there is no way to predict how it will all turn out.
