Warriors' Draymond Green explains what he needs to do to fit next to Chris Paul

The new-look Golden State Warriors were as good as advertised in their first game at full strength. Granted that the 0-3 Houston Rockets aren’t the best rival to be measured against, but the early returns of this experiment were quite encouraging nonetheless.

Draymond Green made his season debut, meaning Chris Paul headed to the bench for the first time in 1,365 games. The Warriors were able to deploy their same lineup for last season, all while their latest addition pulled the strings of the second unit.

Needless to say, Green knows Steve Kerr’s offense like the back of his hand, as he’s been a centerpiece of it since 2015. Even so, he still needs to make sure to be on the same page with Paul, as they’re likely to share plenty of time on the floor, especially in clutch-time situations.

With that in mind, the four-time NBA champion talked about how he must learn Paul’s tendencies and preferences in the pick-and-roll, so he can help him be as efficient as possible with his screen-setting.

Draymond Needs To Learn Paul’s PnR Tendencies

“(Have to figure) out what he likes in the pick-and-roll,” Green told The Athletic. “That’s what I try to do. Different guys like different screening angles. He may want a hand-off. He may want a pitch-back. He may want a step up. But, like I said, I think we are two of the smartest guys in the league. When you can put two of the smartest guys in the league on the floor on the same team with the weapons we have around us, I like the odds.”

Green missed the entire preseason with an ankle injury. He was with the team and obviously watched his teammates play, but he now needs to ramp things up and get to full speed:

“The preseason went really well for us,” Green said. “You got young guys showing what they’re capable of and taking proper steps. It’s good to see the growth of JK [Jonathan Kuminga] and Mo [Moses Moody]. I like where we are heading. How I fit in is what we have to figure out. It may not be what it was before, but you have to figure it out.”

It’s Now Or Never In The Bay

The Warriors made a win-now move by trading for Paul. They still have confidence in their championship core and believe they have as good a chance as everybody else of winning another ring for as long as Stephen Curry is in his prime.

They got off to a good start to the season, winning two of their first three games and being quite close to being 3-0. Also, they added some interesting pieces for depth in the offseason, with Dario Saric already thriving in Kerr’s system as a poor man’s Draymond Green with his playmaking and defense.

Then again, they should be quick to make moves if this new core of players doesn’t fit the expectations, as they’re not getting any younger, and their title window could close right before their eyes.