Getty/Harry How Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors gets into it against the Clippers in Staples Center in Los Angeles during the 2019 Playoffs.
Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors has remained the engine to the success of the Warriors for the majority of the past decade. When someone talks about how vital intangibles are that players bring, Green is probably one of the first player to come up in minds.
For his career, the former second round pick averages 8.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists a game. Nothing that spectacular on paper. In fact, Charles Barkley has joked in the past and said Green puts up triple single numbers.
Despite averaging 9.3 points, 7.8 assists and 6.3 rebounds against the Denver Nuggets through four games, these surface numbers do not do justice to the impact Green brings. Anyone that watches Warrior games should be able to tell the positive impact that Green makes for them.
His tenacity and basketball IQ makes Green a key clog on the court. His ability to guard all five positions on the court as a center makes him invaluable, especially in the playoffs. In the modern league, there are instances where dominant bigs like Rudy Gobert were liabilities on the court during the playoffs.
In all the different variations of the ‘death lineups’ through the years, Green has remained at the center of it all, both figuratively and literally. The lineups were devastating and opposing teams really had no counter with Green’s ability to switch all positions.
Analyst Wowed by Profound Draymond Green Effect on Warriors
With the ability now to see statistics beyond the traditional numbers, there is a reason why teams all over the league realize how valuable Green is. A majority of executives would love to have the four-time All Star on their teams.
NBA analyst Mo Dakhil tweeted out a crazy statistic in regards to Green’s impact on and off the court.
This stat alone tells a lot more than the stats that show up on the box scores for Green. As poor of a shooting as Green is, the fact the offensive rating hums to 134.4 when he’s on the court is definitely something that cannot be ignored.
Green is the primary playmaker in the heavy motion sets that the Dubs run. Combined with the experience he has playing with the Splash Brothers and his basketball IQs to read plays, it should not be too surprising in regards to how integral Green is for his squad.
Draymond Green Calls Out Players Not Made for Playoffs
After Game 3, the 35th overall pick of the 2012 draft talked to the media and offered thoughts on how some players shrink when the games really matter.
“Everybody not made for the playoffs,” Green said. “I don’t know if y’all can see that. Around the league, but look around the league and everybody just not cut out for the playoffs.”
Green did not provide specific players, but as always, he spoke the harsh reality of the truth. Some players are built for the regular season, but once the playoffs come around, they fold under pressure. A seasoned champion like Green has encountered so many different factors in the postseason, so it’s not difficult for him to see this.