Whats Next: When will the warriors Get their Glue guy Back?

There’s one common thing that any championship aspiring team must have to be successful. No, it’s not a 30 points per game scorer. It’s not a highlight machine who will make a great play at one end, then give up a basket on the other. It’s someone who can set all these things up, and also be the guy to keep the team together when they're experiencing the lows of the game. Someone who is not, afraid of the dirty work. What a championship team needs is a “glue guy”. There have been examples of these types of players throughout NBA history including Shane Battier who played an extremely important role in Miami’s two championships during the Lebron era. Or, even more recently PJ Tucker who guarded the best player on every opposing team during the Milwaukee Bucks 2021 championship run. Still, one of the most impactful glue guys to date is no one other than Draymond Green. I know his game isn’t that flashy, and the amount of room defenders give him on the three point line has gone past all levels of  disrespect. It's almost comical. The way he controls the game by orchestrating plays on offense, and getting players where they need to be on defense is next level. This is why during this long stretch that Draymond Green has been sidelined, the warriors have experienced some quite troubling times.

Since the last time Draymond Green touched the court, which was technically on January 9th when Klay Thompson finally made his return, the Warriors have gone 16-13, while also losing 7 of their last 10 games. During this 10 game skid Stephen Curry averaged 26.1 points per game while shooting 49.2 percent from the field, and 36.1 percent from deep. Curry has still managed to average decent stats, but not anything compared to the start of the season when he was having another MVP campaign. It’s kind of crazy.; It's like once Draymond dropped out of the lineup, Steph proceeded to drop out of the MVP race. This is due to the chemistry they have on offense being unmatched. Green also takes a lot of  the responsibility off of Steph to get others involved with Green being a point forward. All Stephen Curry,and let’s not forget Klay Thompson haves to worry about is getting open, which is their bread and butter. Since Klay has been back I have seen him dribble more than I have his whole career, and it’s because he’s not getting set up like years past. Another concerning note is how the Warriors defense has struggled in the absence of Green, with them having a 110.5 defensive rating and a plus 2.8 net ranking which ranks 12th in the NBA. They have become a mediocre team on the defensive side, and mediocre will not get you a ring.

After a loss to the Lakers last Saturday Steph was asked if the losing habits they were building lately could be worked on in practice to get a solution. Steph responded - noticeably agitated - by saying, “It’s not running a play…it’s boxing out, it’s not coming off  strong side shooter, it’s understanding how the other team is defending us so we know what shots to get and not rush.” All things that Draymond Green takes pride in. So what I believe Steph was hinting at is we don’t need more practice, we need our engine back. So, with Draymond Green set to return on March 14th the Warriors will have 14 games left on his schedule to get him acclimated before the playoffs start. It doesn’t sound like a lot to get comfortable but I reckon it will be easier for Green being that he’s the one that truly brings the team together.