Draymond Green has big hopes for how history will view his NBA career, and Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr says he already shares that view.
Kerr spoke out this week about Green’s desire to be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, with the Warriors coach making the case for why he believes the honor would be well-deserved. Ker compared the talented big man to another potential Hall of Famer whose career was built on defense and rebounding instead of scoring prowess, a blueprint he believes could help Green be inducted one day.
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Green’s Aspirations
The recently announced list of Hall of Fame finalists included Detroit Pistons star Ben Wallace, a player in the mold of Green’s playing style. The Warriors big man said he hopes to achieve the same feat one day, but said he knows there is still plenty of work to do.
“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 still has a ways to go before matching Wallace’s resume. While Green has an NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, Wallace had four over the course of his 16-year career. Wallace was also named to five All-NBA teams to Green’s two.
Stephen Curry and Draymond Green have been named finalists for the U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball team.
The official 12-member roster will be announced later this year.
Green does have the chance to boost his resume a bit this summer, being named a finalist for the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball squad.
Green Has Kerr’s Support
Green has the support of his coach, who knows quite a bit about Hall of Famers. Kerr played with several over the course of his career, from Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls to his time on the San Antonio Spurs with David Robinson and Tim Duncan. He also cast Hall of Fame ballots during his time as an NBA broadcaster on TNT.
The Warriors coach said Green deserves to be enshrined.
“I think Draymond is a Hall of Famer,” Kerr said, via NBC Sports Bay Area.
Kerr said he sees similarities between Green and Wallace. Though Kerr noted that both had very different playing styles, he said their impact on the game went far beyond the stat sheet.
“Draymond is kind of a point forward, point center, very unique player,” Kerr said. “But I think the best way to measure Draymond is not with his stats, it’s how much he impacts winning.”
Steve Kerr believes Draymond is a Hall of Famer, and made a strong case for the three-time NBA champ (via @kendra__andrews) t.co/0VUQHoyNQH
Others see Green as a fringe candidate for the Hall of Fame. In an analysis published last year, Sports Illustrated pegged him among the third-tier of current players, behind the surefire first-ballot inductees and players already on track to be enshrined. He was among the group “on the skirts” of a Hall of Fame career, listed along with Jimmy Butler, Rajon Rondo and John Wall.
Like Green’s own assessment of his career, the outlet noted that he still has some work to do.
“Draymond Green is a three-time NBA champion and has shown his tenacity on defense, but there is room for him to grow outside the benefits of having Curry and Thompson on the floor,” the report noted.
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Steve Kerr Explains Why a Surprising Warrior Should Be a Hall of Famer