Draymond Green is a changed man since returning from the All-Star break. The 14-year NBA veteran’s form has taken a sharp turn for the worse, and he struggled to find his form, leading to the Golden State Warriors’ embarrassing 113-109 loss to the lowly New Orleans Pelicans. The Dubs looked seriously out of it in the first half. On the heels of a feel-good win against the Denver Nuggets without Stephen Curry, Kristaps Porzingis, or Green, tonight’s loss appears to have brought them back to earth, and there seems to be one clear culprit.

The first half was a trainwreck for Green. He was fine on defense, grabbing boards and blocking a shot from Zion Williamson. However, he was completely shut down on offense. The most he did was set some hard screens for teammates, with the Pelicans completely ignoring him near the perimeter. Veteran big man DeAndre Jordan also swatted one of Green’s layups out of bounds. He finished the first half with five points, five rebounds, and one assist, but a -7 plus/minus.

At one point, the team had just seven assists in the first half. Contrast that with the 25 in the Nuggets game’s first half without Green, and it all points in one direction: Green is not doing well. After the game, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr addressed it directly, but not in the way people expected.

“I thought Draymond did a really good job of running the floor,” Kerr told reporters of what improved in the second half for Green. “I thought he really sprinted the floor in transition, got to the corners. Second half, you could see the assists started to pile up because we did some things off-ball to create some openings. He made some really nice plays.”

Kerr’s not entirely wrong. Green had a much better second half, with six points, two rebounds, and five assists, but a significantly higher +15 plus/minus, showcasing his impact on the floor. Even though the positives around Green can be counted on one hand in recent days, the Dubs’ floor general became the ninth franchise player to reach 1,000 offensive rebounds. The coach also spoke about another factor after the game.

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Steve Kerr explains importance of the Stephen Curry-Draymond Green partnership

One thing Steve Kerr focused on in his postgame comments about Draymond Green’s performance was the impact of not having Stephen Curry on the floor.

“One of the things we’re talking to [Green] about right now, especially without Steph, is to really dive out of pick and roll and clear that space at the top,” Kerr told reporters. “Normally, he and Steph are playing their two-man game up there, and it’s really lethal, but without Steph, we’ve got to get him down the floor.”

The lack of an all-NBA offensive talent like Curry definitely has an adjustment period, and it’s become apparent after the All-Star Weekend. In the team’s first game after the break, Green went scoreless, missing every shot and logging a disastrous -28 plus/minus against the Boston Celtics.

The Dubs veteran acknowledged his form that has spiralled, but did not take criticism lying down this time. Green directly hit back at retired star Kendrick Perkins and questioned the hypocrisy of how an NBA player is asked to retire after a bad game, but not after a good one.

Green’s second half tonight shows that there are still adjustments he can make with the lineups that don’t include Curry, and given enough time, a player with his feel for the game will surely adjust, even if the start of it appears extremely rough.