The Golden State Warriors have lost 5-of-6 and are stumbling toward the playoffs. It’s easy to pin that on Stephen Curry being out with a sprained ligament in his foot — the Warriors are 11.6 points per 100 possessions worse with him off the floor — but it’s more than that. Klay Thompson is playing as well as can be expected, but he is not the All-NBA version of himself right now. Jordan Poole, Andrew Wiggins and the other role players have been hit or miss.
But the biggest issue besides Curry: Draymond Green has not been himself since returning from a back injury.
And he knows it.
Draymond: "I've never really been on a team that gets worse when I'm on the floor. And that's kind of where we are right now." pic.twitter.com/QMkcF1nrKc
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) March 28, 2022
“I’m playing terrible. I’ve never really been on a team that gets worse when I’m on the floor and that’s kind of where we are right now. Some things I can correct, some things will come with time. Just kind of what it is but we’re definitely worse when I’m on the floor, that’s for sure.”
Sunday night Green had seven points, six assists, five rebounds, and was -20 in a game the Warriors lost by eight to the Wizards. Two nights before he had four points, three assists, five rebounds, and was -24 in an 11-point loss to the Hawks. That trend continues back through all of the Warriors’ recent losses, and the one game Golden State won — against Miami — was one he sat out.
Green had missed almost all of 31 games (he played :07 seconds in Thompson’s return) due to a back injury where the pain had reached down into his calf. Watching him play now, it’s fair to ask if he is all the way back from that; he seems half-a-step slow to plays he used to make. Maybe that’s just timing, and maybe it’s a sign of something more.
The Warriors sit as the No. 3 seed in the West and have a two-game lead over the surging Mavericks with seven games to play. Golden State should hold on to that seed (and stay on the other side of the playoff bracket from the Suns) but they need a couple more wins down the stretch. Green has to be better to get them there.
