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Warriors: Draymond Green claims to be the best defender ever. Is he?

ByJeffery Stephens|
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 15: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after he made a basket against the LA Clippers during Game Two of the first round of the 2019 NBA Western Conference Playoffs at ORACLE Arena on April 15, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 15: Draymond Green #23 of the Golden State Warriors reacts after he made a basket against the LA Clippers during Game Two of the first round of the 2019 NBA Western Conference Playoffs at ORACLE Arena on April 15, 2019 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Friday morning, Marcus Thompson of The Athletic tweeted out a quote from an interview with Draymond Green.

In this interview, Draymond Green is asked who the best defender of all time is. He, of course, says himself, which has opened a dialogue on who people think the best defender of all time is.

My first thought on the quote is, what did people expect him to say?

There seems to be a backlash for his comments, but I’d personally expect nothing different from Draymond. When you play the game with the fire, intensity, and effectiveness he plays with every night you have a different type of confidence.

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Somewhat of an irrational confidence in believing you can do things on the court that people say you cant do. That being said, when you watch him play, you can see that he believes what he said is true.

He truly believes he is the best defender of all time.

He is extremely versatile with an extremely high basketball IQ. At his size, 6-foot-7 230 pounds, the heart, and fight he shows when guarding NBA big men is unmatched. I’ve never seen a guy his size give forwards and centers trouble in the paint quite like Dray.

He refuses to be bullied and takes it personally when he’s scored on. The man is the heart and soul of the NBA’s latest dynasty, his talent is undeniable.

I say all that to say I’m not sure he’s actually the best defender of all time.

Not because of any numbers or anything like that but because of his limitations. Dray is great at what he does but has certain limitations. Because he’s 6’7, it’s tough for him to bang down low with the more traditional centers, and because he’s 230 pounds it can be tough for him to guard elite wings for long periods of time.

When switched onto an elite wing, I think he does a great job. When tasked with guarding an elite wing for the duration of a game, he has a few limitations that can be exploited.

In my opinion, Draymond is definitely one of the best defenders of all time. But to say he’s the best of all time requires me to disregard what I saw from guys like Gary Payton, Kevin Garnett, Scottie Pippen, Kawhi Leonard, and many more.

I’m willing to put Dray very close to the top of that list but to put him at number one on that list requires a level of disregard for other players I’m not willing to exhibit at this time. The good thing is Draymond is still writing his story.

So while he might not truly be the best of all time yet, he has an opportunity to add to his story and make his case stronger.

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