"Usually the high-IQ guys figure it out, and he's at the top of that list" - Steph Curry confident teammate Draymond Green will bounce back from offensive struggles
Draymond Green has been playing subpar in the NBA Finals, and Steph Curry believes he will find his mojo soon enough. The defensive strategies on Curry are a major reason why Green is not playing his best. Green is still dominating the defensive end but is turning out to be a liability on offense. Even though he isn't valued as a scorer, his playmaking has been compromised as well.
There have been three occasions in this series when Green has admitted he didn't play well, most famously in Game 3. He didn't have great outings in Games 1 and 4 as well, but those weren't as bad as the Game 3 performance.
Curry was asked about his teammate's struggles in the finals and if the Golden State Warriors can do anything to help. In the Game 5 pregame news conference, Curry said:
"I think he is going to do an amazing job of adapting and figuring out where he can find us, his angles, his ways to impact on the offensive end, and that'll again feed off of the way he impacts the game on the defensive end. ... So, usually the high-IQ guys figure it out, and he's at the top of that list when it comes to understanding the game of basketball."
Steph Curry on Draymond Green's offensive challenge in this Celtics series: "Usually the high IQ guys figure it out and he's at the top of that list." https://t.co/V2NkhK0SmF
Green is averaging just 4.3 points per game in the NBA Finals. In the three games he admittedly played poorly in, he averaged 2.6 ppg on 17% shooting. He is known for his playmaking but hasn't tallied double-digit assists even once. His highest mark came in Game 4 with 8.
There are several things he needs to adjust to in order to not be an offensive liability in the upcoming games.
Green just running towards the rim and hoping to make something happen is not going to help. The offensive aggression doesn't necessarily come from scoring but rather from making the right plays at the right time. Nobody is asking him to drop 20 points per game, but he certainly needs to have more than his season average of 7.5.
Steph Curry explains why Draymond Green is struggling offensively in the NBA Finals
When it comes to defending, setting screens or even rebounding, Draymond Green is doing whatever his team needs. However, if we specifically talk about Green's offense, Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka has done a great job in limiting the four-time All-Star.
Steph Curry said Green is struggling because the Celtics have taken away some of the Warriors' "bread-and-butter" plays, saying:
"It comes down to understanding how we have our certain pet plays and actions that we have done for years and years and years. They've scouted it. They have certain a approach and personnel to try to take those away. Some of our bread-and-butter plays but a lot of it is just being a lot more organized in our spacing and our force on pick-and-rolls and cuts and stuff like that."
The Celtics were bottom-third in the league in blitzes and double teams to opposing stars, and they have maintained that strategy on Curry. Curry is so used to being doubled and blitzed that Boston's single coverage is like playing in a playground for him. Hence, he is averaging more points in these NBA Finals than he has ever done in any other series.
However, what this strategy does is limit Green. Because nobody doubles on a ball screen, Green doesn't get the ball off a blitz. The defender checking Green can just roam off him and provide help defense. That, in turn, makes Green a huge offensive liability. Not blitzing Curry essentially removes the short-roll pass where Green creates plays 4-on-3, so his playmaking is compromised as well.
"As a team, you kinda do all you can to free him up"
Draymond Green on the @warriors playing with "force" to open up the floor for Steph Curry. https://t.co/4986KuKMbQ
If Udoka decides that is finally time to double-team Steph Curry, one can be sure that Green will have a much better game.