In the inaugural episode of the Draymond Green Show, host Draymond Green delivers a candid post‑game analysis of the Lakers‑Nuggets Game 1. He argues that the Lakers’ loss hinges on D'Angelo Russell’s shooting slump, labeling Russell a "trading‑block" candidate and insisting the team must improve his performance for any chance to win. Green also critiques the reliance on aging stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, questioning the sustainability of expecting nightly elite output. The conversation shifts to a question from Speaker B about Coach Darvin Ham’s comment that he is saving adjustments for later in the series. Green explains the strategic balance between withholding tweaks and deploying them early, using the Milwaukee‑Pacers game as a cautionary example of premature adjustments. He suggests the Lakers could have benefited from a more aggressive defensive switch—using AD on Jokic versus Aaron Gordon—but notes that over‑adjusting can backfire. Throughout, Green emphasizes the psychological weight of a winnable Game 1, the impact of a 9‑game losing streak to the Nuggets, and how a blowout can alter a team’s confidence heading into Game 2.
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Welcome to the brand new Draymond Green Show YouTube channel. Hit subscribe so you don't miss out on any of our content. The Lakers versus the Nuggets. The Nuggets, Lakers may be in some trouble because Bron had a great game, AD had a great game, and they never stood a chance at winning the game after the first half. And so that's trouble for the Lakers. They're gonna need a better D'Angelo Russell. You can't just say, "Oh man, shots ain't go in," when that's starting to be a trend in these 16 games. Can't just say that. Shots gotta go in. And D'Angelo Russell score, they need a better Austin Reeves. You on the scouting report now, getting your bag now. Gotta play better. But D'Angelo Russell make shots. Lakers win games. D'Angelo Russell don't make shots, Lakers don't win games. That's the reason the Lakers was in the position that they was in, talking about D'Angelo Russell on a trading block because they needed a better D'Angelo Russell. D'Angelo Russell on trading block showed up rest of the season. Guess what? It's no longer 82, it's 16 now. Got to show up. So D'Angelo Russell play better, Lakers have a chance. D'Angelo Russell don't play better, Lakers don't stand a chance. And that's just what it is. And by the way, remember the guys getting up there in years? Bron is one of them. Are you gonna ask him to have a game like he had in game 1 every night? We know he's capable, but can you expect that? Can you rely on that night in and night out? When guys are getting to the, the number of years that they getting to. AD showed up. So it's on D-Lo.
What did you, what, what did you make of Darvin Ham's quote after the game? He said he still has a, he had a few adjustments on, on Jokic that he's, he's saving. You, you've, you've talked a lot about game 1 being a feel-out game of a series sometimes. What do you make of a coach saying, I have some adjustments that I could have used in this game that We had, we had a chance in, but I'm gonna save him for later in the series. I thought it was an interesting thing to say.
I think that's an interesting quote because the reality is you can't throw the kitchen sink at game 1. You can't throw all your adjustments at game 1 thinking that's what's gonna get you to win throughout 7-game series. Now, we'll get into this Milwaukee and Pacers game because I think they threw one of their adjustments too soon. In a game that they had no other, no chance at winning because they were down 30 points at halftime. And they threw to one of their adjustments to kind of make the game respectable. But you showed your adjustment for game 2. And so I do agree with Darvin that you don't wanna show everything in game 1. However, I think they probably needed to throw a little more because that game 1 was a game 1 that they could have won. That changes the series, especially, and that changes their confidence. Yeah. Being that they've lost 9 straight to the Nuggets, including 4 of those 9, or last 5 of those 9 being in the playoffs, changes the psyche. You go and get game 1, and now your psyche is still, man, we can't get over the hump. So be that you could win, I thought you needed to throw one of those adjustments. But I thought one of their big— I mean, what's your adjustment now? Like, your adjustment could be throwing AD on Joker and not having AD on— Draymond Green. Aaron Gordon, but like, I think your biggest adjustment was actually the opposite way, right? Like you start AD on Joker and then go to AD on Aaron Gordon and let him plug and like see how they deal with that. But to switch it the other way, like that's kind of throwing everything because where do you go after that if AD don't get it done? And so I think that's, you know, you don't throw everything in game 1. But that was a very winnable game 1 for them in that first half and even in the third quarter and they couldn't quite pull it off. It's gonna make it a lot tougher to get game 2. A lot of these games you see been a blowout. These coaches in these blowouts are having a heart attack, the winning teams in these, the winning coaches of these teams. 'Cause when you blow somebody out in game 1, that team that you blew out come back pissed off in game 2 and you naturally go relax in game 2. Thinking you've done something. And so, I respect it, you know, gotta have the adjustments, but I thought one of the biggest adjustments they could make would be plugging off Aaron Gordon with AD, and they did that and it didn't work ultimately, so.
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