Draymond Green is about to get a little more freedom from deep, and he’s not hiding how much he likes it.
Steve Kerr has given his veteran forward the nod to fire away on more open threes in the 2026-27 NBA season, with the message being simple: don’t hesitate, and don’t force the offense into a rigid script. Kerr wants Green to keep the ball moving naturally, trim down the turnovers, and treat those open looks as worthwhile possessions even if he’s never been known as a pure shooter.
Green sounds fully on board with the change.
“Shooting when the game says ‘shoot’, pass when the game says ‘pass’, not becoming a robot and just going to 1 thing, I’m extremely excited about this because the last time I shot 3’s in rhythm, where I could just go up and you know what, ‘I’m letting that thing fly’, was 2016-2017. It was probably the last time I actually was shooting in rhythm and just letting it ride no matter what.”
“So, I’m looking forward to that, not that I’m just going to come out casting 3’s, but I definitely am going to look to get more of them up when I’m open and you know that’s exciting to hear from your coach. That’s exciting because it’s not necessarily something that I’ve always heard.”
That 2016-17 reference jumps off the page. It was one of the best all-around seasons of Green’s career, the year he posted 10.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.4 blocks while shooting 41.8% from the field and 30.8% from three. He took 8.6 field goal attempts per game and 3.5 threes per night, and the hardware followed: Defensive Player of the Year, an All-Star nod, All-NBA Third Team honors and a spot on the All-Defensive First Team as Golden State won the championship.
The big caveat is obvious. Green isn’t suddenly becoming Stephen Curry from the perimeter, and last season he actually launched a career-high 4.6 threes per game. He finished with 8.4 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 32.6% from long range.
The shift, then, is more about mindset than raw volume. Kerr wants Green to stop overthinking those open looks and trust the read in front of him instead of immediately deferring or trying to make every possession a setup play.
That trust matters more now because the Warriors are set to open the season without Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody, leaving them short on offense. Kerr has already pointed to veterans like Green as players who will have to absorb some of that missing production.
No one is expecting Green to become a high-volume shooter at 36. But if defenses have to respect him just enough to stay honest, that alone could open a little more breathing room for Curry and the rest of Golden State’s offense.
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