Draymond Green earning himself a one-game suspension for Game 3 between the Sacramento Kings and Golden State Warriors has definitely thrown a wrench in the Warriors’ plans for this first-round playoff series.
The Kings did their job defending their home floor in the first two games of this series, which is why there is no much concern stemming from Golden State’s side of things, but Game 3 suddenly becomes a “must-win” game for the Warriors and they will have to try and pick up a hard-fought victory against a tough, offensive-minded opponent without their best overall defender.
Not to mention, Draymond Green is one of the Warriors only options in the frontcourt, leaving this team even smaller than they already are.
Steve Kerr and the Warriors have obviously been coming up with a plan to fill Green’s minutes for Thursday night’s game at home against the Kings, but what does this plan possibly look like?
In past games this season that Green has missed, Jonathan Kuminga has been a player Golden State has turned to not just to fill minutes, but to start at the power forward position alongside Kevon Looney in the frontcourt. However, Kuminga has played just 14 total minutes in this series against Sacramento, so the Warriors may not be too keen on the idea of throwing him in the starting group with a “let’s see what happens” mentality.
Obviously the other prominent avenue the Warriors have played around with involves going smaller with Jordan Poole starting at shooting guard, Klay Thompson moving to small forward and Andrew Wiggins sliding over to the power forward spot in the frontcourt.
It is definitely possible this is the starting group that Kerr and the Warriors’ staff rolls with initially, but the problem with starting Poole against the Kings is that they have targeted him so much on the defensive-side of the floor this series. Jordan Poole is not the best defender and with the Kings being bigger on the interior with Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray and Harrison Barnes crashing the glass, the Warriors could wind up digging themselves an early hole if their shots are not falling.
In terms of the starting rotation, it is certainly possible that Donte DiVincenzo is in the mix to start as well, especially since he has come up big at times this season as a rebounder. Playing in 72 games this season for the Warriors, DiVincenzo only averaged 4.5 rebounds per game, but he recorded at least five rebounds in 31 different games, including three games with double-digit rebounds.
As far as what I would expect to see, I would lean more towards the notion that Steve Kerr will utilize multiple players in multiple different roles instead of just having one player like JaMychal Green, Jonathan Kuminga, Donte DiVincenzo or someone else fill Green’s minutes in Game 3.
This is a game the Warriors need to win in order to keep their hopes of winning the series alive, which is why if one philosophy is not working, Golden State will quickly shift to Plan B and then Plan C and so on.
While he is listed as questionable for Game 3, keep an eye on Gary Payton II as well. He may only be 6-foot-3, but Gary Patyon II plays with heart and plays well above his size, oftentimes being a “small-ball” center for the Warriors.
Everything for the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 starts with containing the ball on offense and not being wild with their sets. Through two games, the Warriors have turned the ball over 37 times, resulting in 41 total points for the Kings.
This is just unacceptable for a championship-caliber team like the Warriors and maybe they will be a little more efficient in this department without Draymond, as he is responsible for eight turnovers in this series.
Taking good shots, taking care of the basketball on offense and not allowing the Kings to drive downhill towards the rim are the three things that must be points of emphasis for the Warriors in Game 3 and even without Draymond Green, they are still capable of achieving all of these things.
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