Warriors: Draymond Green strongly praises Andrew Wiggins

Draymond Green had some strong praise for the Golden State Warriors’ newest star acquisition, Andrew Wiggins. Despite some initial hesitation, Wiggins has exceeded expectations so far in Golden State.

The Golden State Warriors‘ acquisition of Andrew Wiggins has many people speculating the potential this team could have once healthy. Wiggins’ new teammate Draymond Green is one of those people, asserting himself as a true believer in what the 24-year-old can do for this team.

Green has never been one to hide his emotions from anyone, further put on display when asked after practice what Wiggins can bring to the Warriors.

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First, Green spoke on easing Wiggins into the team. He stated, “It’s not like we got to take his hand and walk him through. This guy’s averaged 20 points in this league for 3-4 years.”

Green followed with some words of confidence on his new teammate, proclaiming how Wiggins is an established player in this league.

Stating, “It’s not a F****** bum we’re talking about. I’m not going to sit here and act like we found some diamond in the rough,” Draymond clearly has confidence in the forward.

Confident as he may be, Green still has high expectations for Wiggins to elevate his game in this new system, particularly on the defensive side of the basketball.

The former Defensive Player of the Year said, “He can be an All-Defensive player. As a leader of this team, that’s one of the things I really want to push him on.”

This is understandable, but it was Green’s next comparison that had people turning their heads.

"“He has all the tools, the athleticism. Reminds me a lot of (Kevin Durant) as a defender, they’re both long and lanky, but agile… Very skinny guys, but not weak. From that aspect, he reminds me a lot of Kevin. And Kevin is a great defender.”"

Some very high praise being compared to the two time NBA Finals MVP with the Warriors, but Green’s comments showcase his belief.

At 24-years-old, Wiggins still has plenty of room to continue developing his game, and playing alongside the lethal offensive backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson soon will only help elevate his play.

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Even without the deadly duo playing due to injury, Wiggins has already been making a significant impact on the court. In three games thus far, the forward has been impressing on not just offense, but taking Draymond Green’s challenge and impressing on defense as well.

On the offensive side of the ball, Wiggins is averaging 23.0 points per game on 57.5 percent field goal shooting and 53.3 percent from three-point range in three games with the team thus far.

Playing in this new system has his offense flowing, and his offense has reached new heights. His defense is improved as well, averaging 1.7 blocks and 2.3 steals as a member of the Warriors.

Three games is a small sample size, but Andrew Wiggins is already showing the immediate impact he can have on the Warriors.

They have now filled their massive opening at the small forward position, and only time will tell what kind of damage this group can create once at full strength.