With five All-Star-level players in the starting lineup--two of which are former MVPs possessing a pair of the most unique offensive skill sets ever--the Golden State Warriors are very difficult to defend. Opponents have to make decisions and generally the decision is the same: let Draymond Green beat you.

Green has been the heart and soul of the Warriors for years, the key to unlocking their revolutionary small-ball lineup with his unique defensive versatility and playmaking abilities. The gameplan has always been and continues to be to cut off his ability to get the ball to Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson and force him to be the shooter.

Green has had another poor three-point shooting season, knocking down just 28.5 percent of his attempts (the lowest since his rookie year). While long-range shooting is certainly his weakness, he has also been slowed down by a number of injuries over the last few years, most notably his shoulder.

He’s taken a beating as an undersized center and, lately, with rest and a more reliable center rotation, he has looked fresher and healthier than he has all season.

Green’s jumper has started to fall which is perfect for the team as they look to make another deep playoff run.

He’s at 37 percent from long range since the All-Star break. More recently, Green has shot 41 percent on 2.8 attempts per game from beyond-the-arc since March 16th. In that span, he’s made at least one three-pointer in nine of 14 games (note: he only played 17 minutes with no attempts from three in his last regular season game).

Green shooting the ball bodes well for the team. They are 10-1 when he knocks down at least two three-pointers. They are 18-5 when he makes at least 40 percent of his three-point attempts in a game.

Historically, April has been Green’s best three-point shooting month by percentage. He has gone 46-127 (36 percent) in 43 games.

Green finding his shot is important because he’s going to get wide open shots every game. If he can make just one or two per game, it makes the defense pay and can be the difference in tightly contested playoff games.

The fact of the matter is that even if he gets incredibly hot, teams won’t ever fully commit to defending his jumper the way they do for most players, but it will certainly help. Shooting at a respectable clip will keep defenses honest and create more space and opportunities for his star teammates to do what they do best.

The pick-and-pop with Stephen Curry and the reserve unit featuring Klay Thompson would both greatly benefit from Green’s resurgent shot coming along for the playoff run.

As Golden State looks to three-peat, they’re going to go up against some extremely difficult defenses that will, understandably, focus all their attention on slowing down Curry, Thompson, and Kevin Durant.

Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, and Milwaukee Bucks use length to shrink the floor, cut off passing lanes, and send multiple defenders at scorers. If Durant is getting double teamed in the post as Curry and Thompson are being tightly defended, Green is going to have to make the shots the defense gives him.

Green’s shot has been the best it has been all season long and they’re going to need him to continue to be confident in his jumper if they’re to cap off this historic run with another championship.