The Draymond Green Thread (2015-16 Pt. 1)

[DoubleO8]

I'm an ultimate stickler for defense and I really do think Draymond is great. With that said he is a defensive player in this game offense is still more valuable so he can't be a top 3 or even top 5 player. His skill set makes him your ideal second best player. You can't take him over:
LBJ
KD
Curry
Westbrook
Harden
Kawhii
AD
CP3
You can make an argument for a few others as well. At best he is a top 10 guy.

[RSCD3_]

I cant put him in the top 5 yet with how his offense is restricted by his scoring inability, I got to say Im a little disappointed by his scoring this year, he has the greatest spacing anyone has ever had in his Starting Lineup and is only putting up 10.4 PPG on 53.7 TS%, a fall of 3.6 PPG and 5.0 TS%. What happened? I was thinking his volume would go down but his efficiency to go up to 60 TS% or above.

His passing is still phenomenal and probably 2nd among non guards but as of now his scoring is such a crutch if he was put on a team without such incredible scoring. Teams would try to make green outscore them and that would be a difficult challenge for him compared to a lot of other top 5 players.

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[juice4080]

this guy is simply amazing...now this is what a top 10 players looks like (lowry's fanboys) and imo he's #2 right behind lebron

[rich316]

Maybe the most hate-able player ever, but you can't deny his game.

[ShotCreator]

From elite top 5 player in the world in 2016, to solidly top 10 and maybe still elite in 2017, to just a good NBA all-star in 2018.


Starting to question whether or not he can flip the titanic switch from his current level to last years defensive level.

[Dr Spaceman]

From elite top 5 player in the world in 2016, to solidly top 10 and maybe still elite in 2017, to just a good NBA all-star in 2018.


Starting to question whether or not he can flip the titanic switch from his current level to last years defensive level.

It sounds almost trite but when thinking about aging the #1 thing on my mind most times is position-relative size. Height just matters in basketball, simple but it’s true.

I mean this was a guy who was having DPOY impact basically as a full time center at 6’5” (if that). A little slippage goes a long way compared to someone with a more traditional center body.

[Outside]

From elite top 5 player in the world in 2016, to solidly top 10 and maybe still elite in 2017, to just a good NBA all-star in 2018.


Starting to question whether or not he can flip the titanic switch from his current level to last years defensive level.

It sounds almost trite but when thinking about aging the #1 thing on my mind most times is position-relative size. Height just matters in basketball, simple but it’s true.

I mean this was a guy who was having DPOY impact basically as a full time center at 6’5” (if that). A little slippage goes a long way compared to someone with a more traditional center body.

Agree with this. Duncan could be impactful defensively while nearly floor-bound in later years due to his combination of height, length, and defensive IQ. Draymond has excellent wingspan (7' 1.25") for his height (6' 5.75" w/o shoes), but that alone isn't enough to overcome the advantage taller players have, so he relies on an overclocked motor to give him the edge.

This year, his activity level has been a bit lower, and as you noted, a little slippage has an oversized impact on his defensive game. I think the slippage has come from two factors:

-- He reeeeally wanted DPOY last year, and it kept his motivation level up all season. Like breaking the RS win record, goals like that keep him motivated through the ups and downs of a season. Now that he has his DPOY, this is just another season.

-- With his playing style, he accumulates more than his fair share of bangs and bruises, and this season has been his worst in that regard. The shoulder has been an issue all season, and it won't surprise me if he has surgery after the playoffs. He's averaged 79.4 games his first five seasons, but he's at 67 with three games left this season. I wouldn't call it aging as much as accumulated toll on his body, but the older you get, the harder it gets to recover.

I do think he can turn it up a notch in the playoffs. We'll see how it goes. Assuming both GS and Houston get to the WCF, they need him at top level.

[dontcalltimeout]

From elite top 5 player in the world in 2016, to solidly top 10 and maybe still elite in 2017, to just a good NBA all-star in 2018.


Starting to question whether or not he can flip the titanic switch from his current level to last years defensive level.

It sounds almost trite but when thinking about aging the #1 thing on my mind most times is position-relative size. Height just matters in basketball, simple but it’s true.

I mean this was a guy who was having DPOY impact basically as a full time center at 6’5” (if that). A little slippage goes a long way compared to someone with a more traditional center body.

Agree with this. Duncan could be impactful defensively while nearly floor-bound in later years due to his combination of height, length, and defensive IQ. Draymond has excellent wingspan (7' 1.25") for his height (6' 5.75" w/o shoes), but that alone isn't enough to overcome the advantage taller players have, so he relies on an overclocked motor to give him the edge.

This year, his activity level has been a bit lower, and as you noted, a little slippage has an oversized impact on his defensive game. I think the slippage has come from two factors:

-- He reeeeally wanted DPOY last year, and it kept his motivation level up all season. Like breaking the RS win record, goals like that keep him motivated through the ups and downs of a season. Now that he has his DPOY, this is just another season.

-- With his playing style, he accumulates more than his fair share of bangs and bruises, and this season has been his worst in that regard. The shoulder has been an issue all season, and it won't surprise me if he has surgery after the playoffs. He's averaged 79.4 games his first five seasons, but he's at 67 with three games left this season. I wouldn't call it aging as much as accumulated toll on his body, but the older you get, the harder it gets to recover.

I do think he can turn it up a notch in the playoffs. We'll see how it goes. Assuming both GS and Houston get to the WCF, they need him at top level.

Tracking stats bear this out. This year he has fewer deflections, loose balls, charges, and contested rebounds.