Draymond Shows Value of Bench Presence Against Nuggets
Draymond Green has been sidelined for a few weeks now, having played last in early January. While the Warriors will be thankful to have him back on the court to shore up their now-2nd ranked defense, Green has found little ways here and there so still make his presence felt.
Against the Nuggets on Thursday night, it was in the form of some light encouragement. Jordan Poole had center Nikola Jokic switched onto him, and Steph was clearly looking around the court to try and get him the ball. Poole was late to rotate up and show for the ball, honestly only making it in time to exploit the mismatch because of Green’s call-out from the bench:
Light encouragement, right?
Draymond’s bench presence has been a part of his identity as a player since he became a starter. He’s always been an energizer for the team, whether it’s wearing a suit and tie and acting as a coach when he was sidelined from injury during the KD years, or making sure the refs know just because he’s not playing doesn’t mean he won’t correct them.
There haven’t been a lot of “Draymond moments” like this in recent years, although with the sports world zeroing in on a historic stretch in both franchise and league history, it was probably easier to spot them and pick them out. Green’s also been doing a lot of rehabbing for his injury, which was a disc in his back, which meant that he wouldn’t be as present on the sidelines.
It’s also moments like this which remind people of how good a teammate Green is. This kind of accountability and basketball IQ has a ton of value beyond just what he can do on the court, especially for young guys like Poole in the clip above, or even Wiseman, Moody, Kuminga or Wiggins. The Warriors’ big 3 will obviously have a lot of hand in the blueprint for the next generation, but it may be Green’s impact on how they see the game that will allow for them to make the leaps necessary to play winning basketball on their own when the time comes.
(Photo credit: Tom Pennington / Getty Images)