Ever since the Warriors selected Draymond Green with the 35th pick in the 2012 NBA draft, he has, for the most part, received nothing but disrespect from fans across the world. However, not only has Green overcome the odds of being a second round pick, he has thrived in an NBA that is continuing to favor long-distance shooters more and more. So where does the “slander” come from, and why is it unjust?
Where the Hate Stems From
Although there have always been people critiquing Green for his lack of aggressiveness when it comes to scoring, he hadn’t received an overwhelming amount of hate until the 2016 Western Conference Finals. Throughout the series, Green was (as usual) a dominant presence on defense while also being a great facilitator on offense. However, in game three of the series, Green was caught flailing his legs in an attempt to draw a foul, which resulted in direct contact between Green’s foot and Adams’ testicles. This clip not only caused an uproar throughout all social media platforms, but it also resulted in Green being suspended for game five of the 2016 finals, possibly costing the Warriors another championship. Since that moment, fans have searched for any reason to label Green a “dirty” player. And although some of these accusations could be true, I highly doubt Green was intentionally attempting to injure players with his legs, but rather flailing them in an attempt to draw a whistle from the referees.
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Emotional Player
Since Green entered the league, he has been a player driven by emotions. Many times those emotions provide a much-needed spark for the Warriors when the team starts to look flat. However, sometimes those same emotions prove to be a curse and have gotten Green ejected from many, many games. Nevertheless, most fans despise emotional players who continue to complain to the referees about calls. They simply want to see their star players score 30 per night without saying a word.
All-Time Recruiter
Following the Warriors’ 2016 NBA Finals’ loss, news broke that Green had called Kevin Durant shortly after game seven to recruit him to the Warriors. Less than a month later, Durant was a Warrior. This only provided more ammo for the Green doubters who loved the idea of Draymond crying to Durant after losing the finals. But if this was any other star for any other organization, fans would be praising him as the savior of the franchise.
Not a Scorer
When fans doubt Green’s impact, this is the stat that pops up most. Because Green is on the same team as three different 20 points per game scorers, he obviously takes a back seat when it comes to scoring. However, many can’t fathom the fact that a player can have a significant impact on a game without being a premier scorer.
Greens’ Impact on the Warriors
Now that we’ve examined the reasons why fans choose to discredit Green, let’s take a look at his actual impact on the Warriors:
A four-time all-defensive player and one-time Defensive Player of the Year, it’s safe to say Green is one of, if not the best defensive players in the league with the ability to guard positions 1-5. It’s also worth noting that Green is almost always guarding the opposing team’s best player. As for the offensive end, Green was a much more prominent piece in the Warriors dynasty era pre-Durant. In 2015 and 2016, Draymond was not only a more featured ball handler, but he was also much more utilized in a pick-and-pop play him and Steph would run repeatedly. However, Draymond is still arguably the Warriors best facilitator as he has averaged over seven assists per game each of the last four seasons (currently averaging a career-high, 7.9 assists per game this season).
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However, other than his all-world defending, Draymond’s greatest contribution comes from the intangibles such as passion, emotion, and an overall drive to dominate the opponent in every facet of the game. There is not one NBA team that wouldn’t love to have Draymond Green on their team.
