Draymond Green: The Human Swiss Army Knife

The old-school basketball purists will tell you that every contender needs a “glue-guy”, someone who brings the team together and contributes across the board. This season, Draymond Green has been that player for the Golden State Warriors.

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Just two short seasons ago, Green was just a bit-part player on the team. After today’s victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, Green admitted that his role on the team two seasons ago was to be the “agitator”, and he came off the bench to provide 13.4 minutes of non-stop hustle play per game. This season, we’re seeing Green at his best, with career-best numbers across the board in points, rebounds, assists, three-point field goals, field goal percentage, and blocks.

To put his per-game production into perspective, let’s compare his stats alongside the other forwards in the league:

Green is undeniably one of the Warriors’ most important players. He fills up the box score, and his versatility is among the best at his position in the league. As you can see from above, he ranks top five in multiple categories in the small forward spot (his natural position), and is more than able to hold his own against the much bigger power forwards (where he normally plays).

As for Green’s glue-guy candidacy, nothing speaks louder than his impact on the defensive end. The Warriors employ a switch-heavy defense which would not be possible without Green. His physical attributes are the perfect blend between both forward positions. He’s able to defend small forwards with his agility, and against bigger power forwards, his long arms and strength ensures that he isn’t overwhelmed physically.

Many small-ball power forwards (or stretch fours) bring a positive impact on the offensive end, but can often be mismatches on the defensive end. They give up size against true power forwards, which will often result in poor rebounding numbers and are notoriously porous defensively.

But, this isn’t true for Green. Just watch him defend Dirk Nowitzki – one of the better post-play big men in the league.

Aside from his glue-guy status, Green is also one of the team’s leaders. During last night’s broadcast, it was revealed that Green once requested coach Steve Kerr call a timeout, and then proceeded to lambast his teammates over their lacklustre effort. And, it’s not the first time either. On the night when Klay Thompson had his historic 52-point game, Green reminded his teammates not to deviate from the offense just to feed Thompson’s hot hand.

It’s remarkable that a third-year player is already giving out commands like a veteran, but it speaks volumes to Green’s confidence in himself and his role within the organization. Green’s status as one of the less experienced players (only four other players have less experience than him) means nothing to his teammates – they see him as one of their leaders despite most of them being more experienced than he is.