STAPLES CENTER, LOS ANGELES, CA — After a near-triple-double with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists against the Oklahoma City Thunder seven nights ago, Golden State Warriors power forward Draymond Green has hit a bit of a dry spell.
He’s just 3 for his last 11 shots in his last two games and has made just one three-pointer in his last twelve attempts from beyond the arc, dating back to five games ago at New Orleans.
But neither head coach Steve Kerr nor Green himself are worried about it.
“The only way out of shooting slump is to shoot yourself out of it,” Green told LetsGoWarriors today at morning shootaround. “Come in aggressive, be aggressive. It’ll change eventually. (No sense in) worrying about it. It’ll change. Just come in, be aggressive, be the player who I am. Shot’s there, take it. If not, move the ball.”
Kerr, who has openly praised Green’s ability to do just that — move the ball — agreed.
“Draymond’s value to us is his energy, his all around play, his defense, his hustle. His shot will go in,” Kerr said. “Biggest thing with him is to bring the energy and the hustle an do what he always does for us.”
“It happens,” Green added. “Eighty-two-game season. Nobody shoots great for eight-two games. Michael Jordan didn’t shoot great for eighty-two games.”
The due diligence concurs. Take Jordan’s 1995-96 season, arguably his best, when the Chicago Bulls won an NBA-record seventy-two games. There are plenty of instances where Jordan shot 6-for-19, 5-for-20, or 7-for-26.
“That’s just part of the long season,” said Kerr, who was Jordan’s teammate for three years, including that record-breaking ’96 championship season. “You go through a little bit of a spell, but all it takes is one shot to break the ice.”
“It’s a long season, so you’re gonna hit something in there,” Green said, denying that his recent string of 48, 36, and 44 minutes played starting in New Orleans have led to fatigue and, therefore, missed shots. “I try to do other things that continue to help the team win. I think I’ve been doing a pretty good job of that, so it’ll work itself out eventually, but I’m fine.”
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