You’ve heard of point guards and point forwards, but what about point centers?
Draymond Green might be the NBA’s first, at least until James Wiseman or Kevon Looney return from their respective injuries. In Monday’s 129-98 blowout win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Green tied his career high with 16 assists.
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It’s the fourth time Green has reached sweet 16 in his career. Green has been on a tear when it comes to dishing out dimes lately, as put into context by the Warriors public relations staff.
“I think this team is built for him to handle the ball, for one thing,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr told reporters in his postgame video conference. “I think he’s gotten in much better shape and into a much better rhythm the last couple of weeks. I think he really turned a corner about two weeks ago physically, mentally. Playing center opens up the floor for him, too. When he’s center and he’s handling the ball, it completely changes the chessboard.”
The term point center might be a bit of a stretch considering Green spends more time on offense at the top of the key than he does in the paint, but the NBA is changing. Green still quarterbacks the defense from the low block and often guards the other team’s biggest player, so he would be considered a center on that end of the floor.
Golden State Warriors
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In the end, it’s all semantics. Green’s game is evolving as he gets later into his career, and his off-the-charts basketball IQ is leading to lots of buckets for his teammates.
It doesn’t hurt to have Steph Curry on your team either. Without Klay Thompson, Green’s ability to run the offense has allowed Curry to play off the ball and tire out defenses to get quick open shots. It’s had a chain reaction on the rest of the offense.
“With Steph playing so well, there’s just an awful lot of space and a lot of slips,” Kerr said. “You’re seeing some plays where guys are comically open at the rim because of Steph’s gravity and the attention to him. Draymond sees all that stuff beautifully. He’s just in a really good groove and playing with great energy. I think Draymond has been just brilliant."