The Draymond Green scale of hurting vs. helping the Warriors is rapidly tipping in the wrong way

Welcome to Layup Lines, For the Win’s basketball newsletter. Subscribe here to get it delivered to your inbox every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Have feedback for the Layup Lines Crew? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey. Now, here’s Prince J. Grimes.

Draymond Green did it again, y’all.

The hot-tempered defensive anchor of the Golden State Warriors struck another player Tuesday, in the latest of a series of events that seem to be happening more frequent than ever.

In a game against the Phoenix Suns Tuesday, he caught Jusuf Nurkic on the right side of his face with a flailing punch that Green said wasn’t intentional. Whether it was or not won’t likely matter when it comes to a potential suspension, because these things just keep happening. He doesn’t get the benefit of doubt.

This is at least the third time Green has inflicted harm on another player since last postseason alone, including when he stomped on Domontas Sabonis in the playoffs and put Rudy Gobert in a chokehold last month. That doesn’t include Green punching his own teammate, or all the groin shots he inflicted on players the years prior.

Related: Jusuf Nurkic was genuinely glad he wasn’t ‘choked’ by Draymond Green

In the past, these things were often written off as a character trait the Warriors had to deal with because of all the positive Green brought to the team. The same fire that allowed him to thrive was the same fire that sometimes got him in trouble. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. That fire is becoming a sideshow to a team that isn’t good.

Green’s -6.7 net rating this year is the second-worst of his career, only better than the 2019-20 season when the Warriors went 15-50. Green was limited to a career-low 43 games that year, Steph Curry played in just five games and Klay Thompson missed the entire season. Outside of that outlier pandemic year, Green’s only other negative net rating came his rookie season. If it holds this season, it may be one of the biggest signs of decline for the 33-year-old. The beginning of the end.

Related: Letting Draymond be Draymond has become the Warriors’ biggest problem

Surprisingly, the reason behind his dip is a 118.0 defensive rating, which easily ranks as the worst of his career. Golden State’s defense has been more than seven points per 100 possessions better when Green is off the floor, according to PBP Stats. And though he’s been better than usual on offense, the Warriors are still slightly better without him on that end too. The area Green has thrived the most seems to be where he’s most ineffective now, which might actually be the cause of his erratic behavior.

If that doesn’t illustrate the Warriors’ plight, then a 10-13 record should. Green might not be the root of all their problems, but he isn’t helping. And if he isn’t helping, how much longer do they deal with everything else that comes with having him on the team?

The Wizards’ move to Virginia is a big deal

One day, the Washington Wizards will be playing home games at a state-of-the-art arena in a booming entertainment district newly built in Alexandria, Virginia. Fans will attend the games, people will spend a lot of cash, life will go on.

All we can hope in that moment is the Gallery Place area Wizards owner Ted Leonsis is abandoning a few miles away in Northwest D.C. doesn’t wither away into a desolate wasteland in the wake of his paper chase. I’m not optimistic.

Leonsis held a press conference Wednesday with Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin to announce the Wizards and Capitals were leaving the city for Virginia. This is a bigger deal than people realize, as FTW’s Mike Sykes perfectly opined. D.C. needs a win, and Leonsis is leaving the city high and dry:

“D.C. hasn’t been able to escape its post-pandemic funk. Businesses shuddered and never came back. People have grown desperate. The police department’s staffing has reached a historic low. Things just don’t look great right now. You can understand why anyone would pack up and run away in the face of all that.

But don’t get it twisted — crime would just be a convenient excuse. Cash is the reason Leonsis is leaving the city.

For years, he’s complained about his $36 million mortgage payment that he pays for Capital One Arena. He’s also asked the city to foot the majority of the bill on an $800 million renovation project for the arena — a proposal  D.C. has always firmly rejected. That’s where this is all rooted.”

Give this a read if you have a moment. It’s worth your time.

More required reading:

One to Watch

(All odds via BetMGM)

Los Angeles Lakers (-135) at San Antonio Spurs (+2.5; +110), 8:10 p.m. ET

This is likely to be the first meeting between LeBron James and Victor Wembanyama, and because the Lakers are playing on the second night of a back-to-back, oddsmakers are giving the Spurs a good chance to win. I just don’t see it. Not tonight, and not when they meet again Friday. San Antonio is riding a 17-game losing streak, and I don’t think they’ll snap it against a veteran team desperate for wins like the Lakers.

Shootaround

— Robert Zeglinski explains why the NBA can’t keep allowing ridiculous star ejections after Nikola Jokic got an early boot Tuesday

— Trae Young claimed the Hawks would have won the 2021 NBA title if he didn’t hurt against the Bucks. Andrew Joseph has more

—Josh Hart’s relatable explanation for why he bets on sports had gamblers feeling seen

—Folks are really upset at LeBron James for how he entered the arena to watch Bronny’s first game

That’s it from me y’all. Check back Friday for more Layup Lines.

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