Draymond Green is one of the NBA’s most unique players for numerous reasons.
If one were to merely look at his stats, one may conclude that he is a player of minimal impact, yet he has had an outsized impact on the Golden State Warriors over the past several years.
He is one of the best defenders in the league, a very good rebounder, a strong facilitator, and he has the ability to run the fast break like a guard off a rebound or turnover.
Green has also always been the emotional and spiritual leader of the Warriors, and that is something that cannot be measured by numbers.
He has an engaging personality, and he was seen messing around with kids by blocking their shot attempts on a playground basketball court, via the Warriors on Twitter.
When you’re an all-time defender, you gotta guard 24/7/365 🚫#DubsDefenseWeek pic.twitter.com/n3h6M1bIXm
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) August 21, 2023
It is no coincidence that Green’s rise as an impact player coincided with the rise of Golden State’s dynasty.
He became a full-time starter during the 2014-15 season, averaging 11.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.3 blocked shots a game as the team won its first NBA championship of the Stephen Curry era.
The following year, Green earned his first of three straight All-Star bids as he raised his assists tally to 7.4 a game.
If one doubted how vital he is to the Warriors’ success, he was suspended for Game 5 of the 2016 NBA Finals with them holding a 3-1 series lead, and his absence was enough for LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers to start to take control of the series.
Green scored 32 points in Game 7, but the Warriors lost, mostly because Curry and Thompson had very poor shooting performances.
NEXT:
Steph Curry Gets Honest On His Motivation During NBA Career