The Golden State Warriors may have lost several key bench players this summer, but they recently rectified the situation by signing forward JaMychal Green.
Green had been waived by the Oklahoma City Thunder after being traded there by the Denver Nuggets in June.
The Warriors certainly needed depth in the frontcourt after losing Nemanja Bjelica, Juan Toscano-Anderson and Otto Porter Jr. in free agency, and Green seems to be just the player to provide it.
At his introductory press conference, it sounded like Green is ready to accept a limited role on a team that doesn’t need him to stand out all too much.
“Just come in and play hard,” Green shared on his mentality joining the Warriors. “Be a dog. Do the dirty work—help Draymond out with the dirty work. Knock down shots and play defense.”
The Warriors’ hierarchy is clear: Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are the main offensive threats, Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole and perhaps Jonathan Kuminga are secondary threats and Draymond Green is a Swiss Army Knife.
Everyone else on the roster has a limited role, and for guards and forwards, it’s mostly about playing defense and knocking down open shots.
Luckily, that is pretty much JaMychal Green’s job description.
How Will JaMychal Green Specifically Help Golden State?
JaMychal Green, a 6-foot-8, 227-pound man, can play both forward positions, as well as center, although on the Warriors, he will likely be limited to playing the 4 and 5.
He has been a good 3-point shooter who has a career accuracy of 36.6 percent from beyond the arc.
His efficiency dropped to a dismal 26.6 percent this past season, but one expects that to greatly improve with Curry and Draymond Green getting him better looks than he’s ever gotten before.
Speaking of Draymond Green, he and JaMychal Green have been friends ever since the eighth grade when they met as AAU basketball players.
That friendship was apparently a big reason why the latter decided to join Golden State.
He is also an athletic player who can throw down thunderous dunks, which can make him a nice addition to the team’s deadly transition game.
JaMychal Green may not be an elite defender, but he is good and effective on that end of the floor, which will surely please head coach Steve Kerr.
His rebounding will also help the team – he has a career average of 5.7 boards in 20.8 minutes a game, which translates to a strong 9.9 caroms per 36 minutes.
The Warriors Could Have A Deep Team Again
Helping JaMychal Green up front will be Kuminga, Kevon Looney and James Wiseman.
Wiseman didn’t play this past season due to injury, and his return could strengthen the squad in a big way.
At the wing spot, the Warriors will have Jordan Poole, Moses Moody and new addition Donte DiVincenzo.
There is also the chance veteran Andre Iguodala returns for one more season.
If Thompson returns to form, Golden State could very well win its fifth NBA championship in the past nine seasons and further strengthen its stranglehold over the basketball world.
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