No Stephen Curry? No problem! After getting their seven-game winning streak snapped on Monday by a Nikola Jokic-less Nuggets, the Warriors were out for redemption last night against the Bucks. But playing without Steph, who was on a much-required rest to manage his lingering back issues, Steve Kerr’s squad needed a solid strategy to beat Giannis Antetokounmpo and Co. Turns out, Draymond Green had the perfect plan to get the job done.

Just like the Nuggets on Monday, the Bucks were extremely shorthanded last night. Especially at the Center position. That’s because Jericho Sims is out recovering from his thumb surgery and Bobby Portis is still serving his 25-game suspension for violating NBA’s Anti-Drug policy. As a result, Doc Rivers was left with no option but to play Giannis at the five. And Draymond exploited the Bucks’ weakness to gain an edge.

The former DPOY took the challenge of guarding ‘The Greek Freak’ and did a brilliant job, limiting him to only 20 points on a disappointing five of sixteen shooting. Impressed by Draymond Green’s performance, his teammate Brandin Podziemski praised him after the game, “Yeah, just goes to show how much of a Hall of Fame defender he is, you know. I think he cements his name in that every single night… And we trust him.”

Moreover, Podz revealed that it was Draymond’s plan to pressure Giannis and let the Bucks’ offense run through him. “Draymond was adamant that he has Giannis, he’s good. So, I think we were able to take that out in the fourth quarter and let Draymond take him on his own. For Giannis to only make 5 field goals as a guy who averages 20 points in the paint a night, it’s really good.”

He continued, “Draymond was like ‘If we’re gonna lose, it’s gonna be Giannis beating me every time.’ And that’s pretty much what we did. Got the ball out of Dame’s hands as much as we could as well. And ended up working out, only 93 points.” That’s what Draymond Green does. Sure, his contribution does not always show up on the stat sheet. Even last night, he scored only 3 points. But his elite defense on Giannis proves how important he is for the Warriors’ success. Meanwhile, Rivers knew beforehand that their lack of depth could turn into a major problem.

Doc Rivers says the Bucks lack “balance” as he highlights “thin bench” amid injury woes

Well, Sims is unlikely to return until the playoffs as he recovers from surgery. And Portis cannot suit up again before April 8. So, lack of size is a problem the Bucks will face at least for the next few weeks. Realizing this led to a concerning confession from Rivers, “We don’t have a balance right now. Bottom line, if Brook’s off the floor, we don’t have another five on our team. Bobby was the five, Jericho was the five, and now we have zero fives (outside of Brook).”

Yes, Brook Lopez is the only true Center they have right now. And even he cannot play heavy minutes because of his age and health concerns. Unfortunately, the lack of depth puts Giannis in a tough spot, as Rivers said, “So, it just really makes us a thin bench, a thin basketball team. Giannis will have to play five, and we’re not opposed to putting Kuz at the five, which is crazy, but it is what it is.”

Well, it surely was a problem last night as the Warriors left them helpless on offense. Moreover, this could shatter the Bucks’ playoff hopes because more teams could use Draymond’s strategy of exploiting their weakness, causing them to fall further in the standings into the play-in bracket. Do you think Rivers can figure out a solution to this problem before it’s too late?