Draymond Green, the Golden State Warriors’ defensive anchor, causes another scene on the court after being ejected for the nth time. After taking a wild swing at Suns’ center, Jusuf Nurkic, the referees tossed Green out of the game. There’s something going on with Draymond. Although the internet is having a feast with Draymond’s latest altercation, this fiasco brings us to the point where we’re now thinking – Draymond Green is actually not that good compared to what people think. Here’s why.
BREAKING: Draymond Green has been ejected https://t.co/ZRphQekEPX
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) December 13, 2023
Draymond Green: Overrated or Underrated?
In the 2023-2024 season, ESPN ranked Draymond as the 55th-best player in the league. It’s kind of a shocker that he’s ranked higher than guys like Kristaps Porzingis (62), Desmond Bane (61), and Zion Williamson (57). That being said, there’s no doubt Green is criminally overrated. Did we also mention he just signed a 4-year/$100 million contract extension with the Warriors? With a “triple-single” average, is he really worth that kind of money?
Despite the slander, there are still great things about Draymond. In fact, the positive things about him slightly outweigh the negative. The 33-year-old forward is one of the toughest defenders in league history, and winning the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year really supports that statement.
The 4-time All-Star was also an integral part of the Warriors’ dynasty. Through the years, he’s proven to become an outstanding leader while his on-court basketball IQ is also exceptional. He may not be getting 30 points or 15 boards a game, but he does the intangibles in the game pretty well. His perimeter defense, rim protection, and pick-and-roll plays are top-tier. But, this is where we get to the good part.
Draymond Green is an extremely dirty player, probably one of the worst in recent memory
In case you haven’t noticed, Green is definitely one of the dirtiest players in the NBA. We’ve seen guys like him before like Dennis Rodman, Kevin Garnett, and even John Stockton, but he is nowhere near their level. Some call him the modern Rodman, but is he though? The Worm was notorious for being a menace, but he was also popular for being one of the best rebounders in the NBA during his peak. The man was naturally gifted with athleticism that he didn’t need to work out that much.
Still, Draymond has a great chance of becoming a future Hall-of-Famer. According to basketball-reference.com, Draymond has a 76.82% chance of getting into the HoF. He is just sitting below Kawhi Leonard, who is probably going in there too. Maybe even first-ballot.
But, why do we think he’s really not as good as what fans think? We’ll break it down for you.
- Again, Draymond is highly overrated. He may be an exceptional defender, an attribute that teams love to get from a player, but he isn’t as great now as he was five years ago.
- Literally not the better scoring option on the team. Green also has one of the ugliest shooting forms, yet he still makes some of his shots.
- Is he valuable to the Warriors? Probably. But right now, Kevon Looney looks like the better option as the main man in the paint.
- Draymond has been causing a lot of problems lately, both on and off the court. From punching Jordan Poole, stepping on Domantas Sabonis’ chest, choking Rudy Gobert, and now backhand slapping Jusuf Nurkic, he’s creating more trouble than he is contributing to the team’s success. He’s an enforcer tasked to do the dirty work so that Steph, Klay, Paul, and Wiggins can do their jobs.
- He’s a great leader and a smart player, we’ll give him that. But, a triple-single average of 9-5-5 sounds like he’s more of a role player than he is a star in Golden State. Is this the reason why people wondered how he became an All-Star 4 times?
- Lastly, according to his haters, he only looks like a good player because he’s playing alongside Steph Curry. Somehow, that’s a bit true. Is he getting the spotlight because he’s in Golden State with Steph? What would happen to Draymond if he’s traded to Detroit? He’ll probably end up like another forgotten star.
Overall, Draymond Green is a good basketball player. The only problem is that some Warriors fans think he’s one of the best power forwards out there and that he’s better than other guys in his position because of what he could bring to the table. While those opinions are valid, let’s just say Green shouldn’t be top 55 or getting a hundred million right now.
