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Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors has always been outspoken, regularly sharing his views and opinions with the media. He was recently interviewed by Dennis Scott for NBA TV and spoke about his all-round defensive abilities. Dennis Scott questioned Draymond Green about why he thinks he is the best defender in the world, to which Green was quick to respond. He brought up a reference to what people think a good defender is, saying -
“Well, he was guarding this guy one-on-one, how did you [the defender] stop him? And defense is so much more than that.”
Draymond Green then went on to draw a vertical with an offensive player, who can only shoot and do nothing else and clarified how that would be a problem, saying-
“If you watch a game offensively, and you see a guy who always scores the ball. He only shoots the ball, he doesn’t give it to anybody else on the floor, he doesn’t do anything else on the offensive end, except shoot the ball every time. You’re gonna have a problem with that!”
Wanting to emphasize how the same logic applies on the defensive end, Green said –
“It’s the same thing defensively. You can’t just be a great on-ball defender. You can’t just be a great weak side defender. You gotta put all of those things together. And when you’re looking at the defensive end, I think I put all those things together better than anyone in the history of the game.”
Draymond Green has spent ten years in the league since being drafted by the Golden State Warriors in 2012. So far, Draymond Green has been part of 6 All-Defensive teams and was named the 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year. The Golden State Warriors system, which relies on offensive production, is often held together defensively by Green. He has been crucial for the Golden State Warriors in their championship seasons, earning himself three NBA Championship titles.
Draymond Green started off as an efficient role player for the Warriors, but soon became one of the leaders within the squad. Throughout his career, he has averaged 8.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists along with defensive contributions of 1.4 steals and 1 block per game. Apart from his numbers, the energy and fight he brings to the floor every night has been beneficial for the Golden State Warriors.
Draymond Green was defensively strong in the 2016-17 season
After the Warriors signed Kevin Durant in the 2016 off-season, they boasted a roster of some elite shooters. Draymond Green stepped up defensively, leading the league with 2 steals per game and recording his career-best 1.4 blocks per game in the 2016-17 season.
On Feb 10th, 2017, Draymond Green recorded a one-of-a-kind triple-double in a 15-point win against the Memphis Grizzlies. He recorded 11 rebounds, 10 assists and 10 steals. Green was almost automatic on defense and even blocked 5 shots. Offensively, he scored only 4 points, making two of his six attempts.
The Golden State Warriors are first in the Western Conference standings in the current season, with a 22-5 record. Draymond Green is contributing to all areas on the floor, averaging 8.3 points, 7.9 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game. The Warriors are having a breakout season and Draymond Green, with a focus on defense, continues to go above and beyond whatever the team requires of him defensively.
Guess the Lakers players!
