Steve Kerr Explains Why He Has Been Benching Draymond Late in Games

The Golden State Warriors are trying to stay afloat. Now that Jimmy Butler is set to miss the rest of the season, the pressure is on for the Warriors. They’ve been sitting as the 8th seed in the West for pretty much the whole season but are only a few losses away from falling out of the Play-In Tournament range and missing a chance at the playoffs completely. 

Stephen Curry has also been dealing with a minor knee injury, forcing him to miss recent games as well. So who is going to step up? It would seem obvious that Draymond Green would have to help carry the team while Butler and Curry are out, but it has actually been their other role players. 

So much so that Warriors’ coach Steve Kerr has actually benched Draymond late in the Warriors' last two games; he was recently asked about this and explained why. 

"Al (Horford) in the Phoenix game and last night was playing so well, and I think without Steph (Curry), it's easier for us to score if Al is at the five and then we space the floor around him. So, those two games, Dray didn't play down the stretch. But… it's harder to find lineup combinations without Steph where we can play Dray at the four, and then if Al is playing like that, scoring inside and dominating the glass, then yeah, we're going to play Al. But again, without Steph, it's tough to put those guys together, and so right now, it's kind of an either-or."

Draymond is one of the greatest defenders of all time. However, at this point in his career, he is a negative on the offensive end. Without Curry and Butler, the Warriors are going to need more scoring, and that is going to force Kerr to continue to make difficult decisions regarding Draymond's playing time.