The Golden State Warriors’ power forward Draymond Green has been voted as the league’s most overrated player along with Thunder guard Russell Westbrook.
Draymond Green continues to play a highly undervalued yet widely scrutinized role for the Golden State Warriors. Many, including his own peers, think the veteran forward is overrated.
In an anonymous NBA player poll by The Athletic’s Sam Amick (subscription required), Green, along with former MVP Russell Westbrook took the cake for the NBA’s most overrated player.
Do they have a point or are they just blinded by their own opinions? It seems to be a little of both.
Many that don’t watch the Warriors game-in and game-out have no understanding of how crucial Draymond Green is to their offensive flow. The vast majority just see that he shoots under 30% from three and scores under 10 points per game and automatically write him off as an overhyped role player.
What Green does is somewhat overrated, but it does have value. Without Green, would the Warriors still be in the same position this season? Most likely. But, his presence makes things much easier and his decision making on the break make him the ideal forward for the Dubs.
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This season, Green has averaged 7.5 points per game, almost half of what he averaged during the 2015-2016 season. His real production comes in his 7.3 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game, both of which are also down from last season.
That said, Green’s reputation around the league easily set him up for this nomination. His hard-nosed, gritty mentality defensively yet lacking offensive game makes him overrated in the eyes of many other athletes.
Per NBC Sports, both Green and Westbrook were at the top of another category as well.
"Both Green and Westbrook also were voted in the top three of players who talk the most trash, which isn’t at all surprising. Green topped the list with 33.7 percent of the vote, while Westbrook came in third at 12.2 percent."
Westbrook, who is averaging a triple-double for the third straight season, is believed to ‘pad’ his stats. His rebounding and assisting typically comes from a high usage rate, not necessarily a willingness to pass or an aptitude at rebounding.
That said, both Green and Westbrook shouldn’t be shocked that they were nominated as the league’s most overrated players.
For Green, all this does is add fuel to the fire. This should light a spark in the 29-year-old forward, preparing him for their fifth straight Finals run.