Draymond Green stands near the top of the key during a Jan. 16 game against New Orleans, a basketball conductor in his domain. He whips a pass to Klay Thompson on one wing, directs traffic before getting the ball back, then feeds Kevin Durant on the other wing. Durant sinks his mid-range jumper.

Later, Green dribbles downcourt at full speed, flips a pass to Stephen Curry and sets a screen to spring his teammate for a 3-point shot. The play sparks a Curry flurry of 3s and propels the Warriors toward a comeback victory.

This neatly conveys how the Warriors work. Curry, Thompson and Durant command headlines for their wondrous shooting — which often becomes possible because of Green’s passing skills.

He offers an almost unprecedented package, playing power forward (or center) while essentially running the offense. Curry handles the ball like a traditional point guard, but Green routinely reads the play, spots teammates before they become open and delivers passes at the right time and in the right spot.

His numbers tell the story. Green has 43 assists and four turnovers in his past four games. He ranks eighth in the NBA this season at 7.3 assists per game, and his average over the past three-plus seasons puts him ahead of every frontcourt player in the league except LeBron James.

Or consider this: Green’s career average of 4.75 assists per game, deflated because he didn’t play much his first two seasons, still ranks seventh all-time among players who primarily were forwards or centers. The six above him are James, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, Paul Pressey, Rick Barry and John Havlicek.

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That’s impressive company, and it speaks to the effect Green’s playmaking has had on this Warriors reign. He benefits from playing with three of the best outside shooters in NBA history, absolutely, but they also benefit from playing alongside a 6-foot-7 forward content to set up his teammates.

Green might be a hard-to-miss defensive madman, brash and loud and animated — but he happily cedes the spotlight on offense.

“He obviously has a nice feel for the game and understands how it should be played,” Barry said. “They don’t need him to score. … I greatly admire Draymond’s willingness to take his game to this level.”

His passing comes mostly from court vision and a high basketball IQ. Still, as Barry suggested, there’s another component: subverting his ego (and, yep, Green has one of those) to help his teammates gobble up shots and glory.

This explains how Green accumulated 11 assists in the first half Oct. 24 against the Wizards — and took just one shot. He’s the rare All-Star who habitually shuns open looks.

Green’s latest dishes Warriors forward Draymond Green during his team’s eight-game winning streak: Date Opponent Assists Turnovers Jan. 5 Kings 7 3 Jan. 8 Knicks 10 1 Jan. 11 Bulls 7 0 Jan. 13 Mavericks 7 3 Jan. 15 Nuggets 13 1 Jan. 16 Pelicans 14 1 Jan. 18 Clippers 9 1 Jan. 21 Lakers 7 1 Source: basketball-reference.com Frontcourt facilitators NBA 2018-19 leaders in assists per game among forwards or centers: This season Player Team APG Nikola Jokic Nuggets 7.7 Draymond Green Warriors 7.3 LeBron James Lakers 7.1 Kevin Durant Warriors 6.0 G. Antetokounmpo Bucks 5.9 Through Tuesday’s games All-time Player APG LeBron James 7.18 Larry Bird 6.35 Scottie Pippen 5.21 Paul Pressey 5.13 Rick Barry 5.06 John Havlicek 4.81 Draymond Green 4.75 Green is No. 2 among active players, behind James. Source: basketball-reference.com What passes for an assist? An assist is credited to the player making the last pass leading directly to a field goal only if, in the statistician’s judgment, the scoring player responded by demonstrating immediate reaction toward the basket, according to the NBA statistics manual.

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“He gets his thrill off passing,” teammate Jordan Bell said.

Green’s affinity for passing traces to Longstreet Elementary School in Saginaw, Mich. That’s where his uncle and first coach, Bennie Baber, taught him “the right way” to play basketball, in Green’s words.

That meant understanding the game and doing what the situation demands — not simply hoisting shots because scoring brought attention.

Baber, who played in high school and during his time in the Army, started working with Green when he was 7 or 8. Baber preached keeping your head up while dribbling downcourt, the first step in molding a good passer. Green listened.

He honed his approach in pickup games at Civitan Rec Center, across the street from his childhood home in Saginaw. He loudly forced his way into games with older kids, and then his selfless style helped him earn respect.

“I believe he accepted the role of passing because it kept him in the game at all times,” Baber said. “As you’re coming up in neighborhood leagues, everyone wants to be the shooter. I told him, ‘This is how you stay on the court: Make the right passes and play defense.’”

Said Green: “For me it was never about, ‘Is it cool to pass the ball?’ If the game says pass, you pass. And if it doesn’t, you don’t. … I’d just rather pass the ball than shoot it.”

Another factor: The Magic Effect. Earvin “Magic” Johnson grew up in Lansing, Mich., and played at Michigan State, Green’s alma mater. Johnson was a point guard, but he illustrated the possibilities of a big man who was passionate about sharing the ball.

Baber and Green often talked about how Johnson shaped the game, even if he retired when Green was 6.

“Draymond saw the floor like Magic,” Baber said. “I told him, ‘You look like Magic out there, dropping those dimes.’”

It’s fair to suggest Green’s emphasis on passing and defense as a pro results, in part, from his limited scoring ability. He’s shooting 25 percent this season on 3-pointers, on pace for his worst season since he became a starter. (He shot nearly 39 percent on 3s in 2015-16.) Many opponents sag off Green, daring him to shoot from the perimeter.

This season also has brought other challenges, from knee and toe injuries to his oh-so-public argument with Durant during a game in Los Angeles on Nov. 12.

Even so, the Warriors appreciate Green’s contributions to their offense. Head coach Steve Kerr called him the team’s “point forward” and compared him to Pippen, Kerr’s old Bulls teammate.

Green admired Pippen growing up, but he learned even more upon reaching the league by watching videos of former NBA forward Boris Diaw. Green loved how Diaw operated at the top of the key, executing dribble hand-offs and finding open teammates.

And now Green fills a similar role, taking full advantage of the way Curry and Thompson move without the ball.

“It’s like watching poetry when I’m at the top of the key, the fluidness they’re cutting with,” Green said. “At this point in my career, I can see it well before it happens. Steph gives me the ball in a certain spot and I know exactly where he’s going.”

This rapport matters, as does Green landing on a team flush with long-range shooters. As he put it, smiling wickedly, “I love to pass the ball and they f—ing love to shoot the ball. It’s the perfect team for me.”

At one point during Thompson’s evisceration of the Bulls on Oct. 29 (not to be confused with his evisceration of the Lakers on Monday night), he momentarily found himself open in the left corner. No defenders immediately noticed, but Green did — while barely looking his way.

Green quickly directed a pass to Thompson, who buried one of his record-breaking 14 three-pointers that night. The crowd in Chicago roared, astonished by Thompson’s relentless accuracy.

Warriors teammate Quinn Cook had a different reaction. Cook stood up near Golden State’s bench, peered toward Green and used his thumbs and index fingers to form goggles over his eyes — the modern way of telling a teammate, “Nice pass!”

Nearly three months later, after moving past those injuries and his tiff with Durant, Green has rediscovered his passing groove. And that’s an important, encouraging sign for the Warriors.

“Draymond’s understanding of the game and his awareness of the floor and chess board makes him a great passer,” Kerr said. “If he’s had a weakness, it’s that he hasn’t always been on target. He sees everything on the floor and he’s constantly making the right read, but in the past, he’s been a little erratic — sometimes hitting a guy down by the knees instead of in the chest.

“That game against the Bulls was the best passing game I’ve ever seen him have, because every pass was in rhythm and it was simple. He wasn’t trying for any home runs, but he was playing with great pace and force. When he can find that balance, it’s incredible to watch.”

That’s the balance the Warriors crave, whether it’s hitting Curry or Thompson curling off a screen or finding Durant on the wing. Forceful and simple leads to assists. Lots of them.

Ron Kroichick is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rkroichick@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ronkroichick