Draymond is ‘shooting the hell out of the ball,' Kerr says

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Steve Kerr and Draymond Green are spending some extra time together this summer as they are part of the USA Basketball squad competing in the Tokyo Olympics.

And something kind of funny happened earlier this week prior to their exhibition game in Las Vegas.

“I rebounded for Draymond pregame the other day for his shooting routine -- first time I've ever done it," Kerr said Thursday on 95.7 The Game's "Damon, Ratto & Kolsky" show. "I've been coaching Draymond for seven years. But I was rebounding for his shooting routine [laughter].

"That stuff is fun. It's all new and different. Just a wonderful experience."

And how did Draymond's shot look?

"I’m not kidding -- Draymond is shooting the hell out of the ball," Kerr said. "Whether it’s in drills ... he is playing with a ton of confidence. I think the last couple months were so good for him after what was a tough season last year.

"I just think for Draymond and Steph [Curry] and for us as a team, those last 20 games -- even though we didn’t get in [the playoffs] -- were so important for confidence individually and team-wise.

"I think Draymond is in a great place and I'm so excited to be coaching him this summer and going into next year.”

The decline in Draymond's scoring and shooting percentages (specifically from beyond the arc) has been discussed ad nauseam for quite some time now.

The expectation is that the three-time NBA champion will look to bounce back in those two areas next season as the Warriors look to become championship contenders again.

"We've seen Draymond shoot. He's capable. We're not asking somebody to do something they haven't done," Warriors president of basketball operations Bob Myers said in late May. "When we sat with him [during exit interviews], I said, 'Draymond, if you were me talking to yourself, what would you say?' And he said, 'Shoot the damn ball. I need you to score.'

"He doesn't want to be let off the hook for that. He's not that type of human being. He's not gonna run from it. It requires practice, it requires coming in with a new mindset. We're confident and he seems motivated."

RELATED: Draymond to offer Warriors draft, offseason input from afar

Kerr also spoke on the topic shortly after the Warriors' season ended with a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament.

"There's no getting around the fact that when he makes a 3, makes a couple 3s, gets 10 or 12 points, we are a better team," Kerr told the media. "Draymond knows that.

"The whole point going into next year is for me as Draymond's head coach and as the coach of this team to really encourage that kind of aggression but to help that aggression. I’ve got to do more to help Draymond offensively.”

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