eminence wrote:Hmm, KD's still within striking distance, but I don't think he'd make my top 10 right now. Dray has pretty clearly been the second best Warrior imo.
Durant is having a down year by his standards, but he's been the Warriors second-best player.
As an undersized guy, Draymond relies heavily on maximizing his effort and athleticism, and a 10% drop in those areas results in an even larger drop in impact. I see him banged up with minor bumps and tweaks more this year -- he's had issues with his knee, and his shoulder has been a season-long thing. The Warriors' defense as a whole hasn't been the same as in recent years, probably due to mental fatigue more than anything. Unlike Cleveland, I think they can up their focus and get to an elite level defensively as we get closer to the playoffs, but the defense that's been their calling card the past three seasons, "on a string" where they're anticipating each other's moves and working as a cohesive unit, that hasn't been there. And that starts with Draymond.
Most fans may not realize it, but Draymond has cut down drastically on the demonstrative behavior and complaining to refs. He had 10 techs in the first 37 games, and he's had one in the 16 games since. Besides the techs, his general behavior is toned down. That's a good thing to avoid being suspended for reaching the limit on techs, but I'm actually hoping to see him get a couple more before the playoffs. It's an indicator that he's in that maximum emotional output zone that he needs to be maximally effective. For now, he's more under control, more subdued, but also less effective. Not bad, just not where he'll ultimately need to be.
If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention.
