Quite a bit has changed for Stephen Curry and Draymond Green since their Golden State Warriors won three NBA championships in four years.
But the chemistry between these two teammates, who have played together since 2012, is as strong as ever. They have obviously learned a lot about one another as players during this time, which often helps them put each other in the best positions to succeed.
It is no secret that the Warriors, who were without their veteran forward for the first two games of the season and lost both in embarrassing fashion, play better when Green is on the floor. But the stats suggest just how important he is, specifically, to the success of their superstar sharpshooter in Curry.
Green has recorded 59 assists to Curry so far this season, per PBP Stats, which actually ranks as the best assist combo in the NBA. In fact, Green has connected on assists to Curry 10 more times than any other player has found one of their teammates.
More than half of the assists from Green to Curry have been worth three points. No player has assisted a teammate on three-pointers more often than Green has with Curry (32) in 2020-21.
the best dimes from Draymond Green’s 4 straight games with 10+ AST! pic.twitter.com/6ew5HaIDwg
— NBA (@NBA) February 10, 2021
Of course, it helps that Curry is averaging 29.5 points per game, which is the highest scoring output he has recorded since he was unanimously voted MVP in 2016.
Curry is currently taking more lion’s share of responsibility as a scorer for the Warriors, who do not have the firepower they had when Klay Thompson and Kevin Durant joined him on the floor. This has made Green, who has always been an excellent playmaker, become more of a point forward than ever.
Green is averaging the fewest points per game (5.0 ppg) that he has recorded since his rookie campaign in 2012-13. But even beyond plays to Curry, his overall distribution numbers (7.7 apg) are a career-high for the three-time NBA All-Star.
The forward has recorded at least 10 assists in each of his last four games, even notching 15 assists in back-to-back performances against the Dallas Mavericks on Feb. 4 and Feb. 6 earlier this month.
Considering that Curry ranks Top 10 among active players in career assists, that is a whole lot of playmaking in the starting lineup for head coach Steve Kerr to work with.
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