With Draymond Green serving a suspension during Game 3, it creates a massive need for the Golden State Warriors. Here’s who needs to step up.
After it was initially rumored that Draymond Green would not face any suspension for stepping/stomping on Domantas Sabonis’s torso on Monday night, the NBA decided to grow a spine and keep him out of Game 3 against the Sacramento Kings.
It’s a crucial decision considering the Golden State Warriors trail in the series 2-0 to the Sacramento Kings, who took both of their home games. Now, the series heads to Golden State, but without Green in the toolbelt for Steve Kerr and the Warriors to count on.
That will make things difficult, especially on the defensive end. Green is forcing the Kings to shoot 9.1% worse than normal on 3-pointers and 12.8% worse on shots within six feet of the rim. He’s also been a force on the boards, grabbing 6.5 rebounds per game.
His 16 assists in the series so far also make up over 30% of the Warriors’ total assists in the series.
Put simply: They will feel his absence, especially in the defense and intensity department.
He’ll be missed, but if these players can do their part and step up, Golden State has a shot at coming back against the Kings.
Warriors that need to step up in Draymond Green’s absence: JaMychal Green
JaMychal Green hasn’t been a part of Steve Kerr’s rotation thus far in the series, only seeing 50 seconds of garbage time play at the end of Game 1. With Draymond out, though, JaMychal minutes may become a necessity if the Warriors struggle to counter Sabonis playing small.
If Kerr doesn’t bring Green into the fold, it’s possible players like Gary Payton II and Donte DiVincenzo are going to be asked to guard Sabonis in short stints. While good defenders, they aren’t equipped physically to adequately hold Sabonis.
Sabonis has a tendency to bully his way into the paint, taking hits, bumps, and scrapes on his way to the basket against bigger defenders. The Warriors could quickly find that attempts to go small may be futile if Sabonis forces his way inside.
That’ll bring JaMychal back into the fold. As long as he can hold his own to give Kevon Looney some rest, that’ll be just fine. Anything more than that would be even better.