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Draymond Green has a high opinion of his defensive prowess, but some NBA greats don’t share the same assessment.
The Golden State Warriors big man said this week that he sees himself as the greatest defender in the NBA’s history. While Green has quite a strong resume — including making the NBA All-Defensive team five times in his first eight seasons and earning NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2016-17 — his boast earned some strong pushback from past NBA greats.
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Green Says He’s the Best
In an appearance on the Dubs Talk podcast, Green declared that he was “the best defender to ever play this game,” and went on to explain exactly how he came to the lofty conclusion about himself.
“I also think I view the game a lot differently than most people view the game because I think I just see it from a different perspective,” Green said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “I think when you look at the things that make a good defender: Reaction time, toughness, being able to see the picture long before it develops, and most importantly, in order to finish a defensive possession, you got to rebound, and I think I rebound well.”
Though Green is a smaller-than-average center at 6-foot-6, he said it was this ability to see the game differently set him apart.
But opinions differ. Green’s boast earned some pushback from NBA great and former Warrior Chris Webber. Reacting to Green’s comments in the NBA on TNT, Webber said that while Green is an excellent defender, he is nowhere near the best of all time. He also defended Green’s right to hold that opinion about himself.
“It’s no way to say ever. That’s just crazy. Whoever agrees with him on ever, you don’t know basketball,” Webber said. “And Draymond should say what he says. Two things can be right.”
Others agreed with Webber. Former Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies swingman Tony Allen, who had a reputation for his own defensive prowess, pushed back against Green’s assertion.
Green Wants To Reach Hall of Fame
The Warriors big man has big aspirations for his own career, saying earlier this month that he sees himself as a Hall of Famer. Green was reacting to former Detroit Pistons star Ben Wallace being named a finalist for the Hall of Fame, saying he believes that he can achieve the feat by the end of his career.
“I still gotta keep building, I’m not done yet, so I got some years left to try and do some more things and hopefully add on to that resume,” Green said, via NBC Sports Bay Area. “But I really wanna make the Hall of Fame, that’s for sure, obviously that’s one of the greatest honors in our sport, I mean any sport, to make the Hall of Fame.”
Green got some backing in that aspiration, with Warriors head coach Steve Kerr saying he shares the belief that Green is a Hall of Fame player.
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