Golden State Warriors: All-Decade Team for the 2010’s
Power Forward: Draymond Green
The Golden State Warriors’ core is made up of players who have achieved past their initial expectations. Perhaps none of them have done it quite like Draymond Green.
There was a feeling among college scouts that Draymond Green was caught in between being too poor of a shooter to play small forward and too small of a player to play power forward or center.
So naturally, Green decided to prove that he could play all three.
His three all-star appearances are just the tip of the iceberg. Where the previous names were all able to assert themselves on the offensive end, Green anchored the defense of the team.
Three years selected to the All-Defensive First Team. Two years on the All-Defensive Second Team. In 2017, he earned Defensive Player of the Year honors.
His presence on the team has allowed coaches to completely change the construction of the defensive scheme. Much of it can’t be fully appreciated without watching in slow motion.
Draymond Green has an incredible understanding of opposing team’s offensives. He serves as a defensive general on the floor who can instruct players to cover certain areas while he floats in the middle and provides help all over the floor.
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His flexibility in guarding multiple positions makes him the ideal floater in these types of schemes.
Though he’s a physical defender, he shows an immense amount of quickness as well. In 2017, he led the league in steals per game.
Draymond Green may not be one of the prettier shooters compared to the likes of Stephen Curry or Klay Thompson, but his ability to run the point when both of those players are on the floor can open all kinds of doors.
His leadership cannot be questioned — even if, at times, it can come across as tougher love than many might want to admit to. There isn’t another player in the league like Draymond Green.