Player Facts
Height: 6'6"
Weight: 230lbs.
Date of Birth: Mar. 4, 1990
College Experience: Michigan State (4 years)
Selections
All Star: 4
All-NBA: 2
All-Defensive: 8
Player Grades
Speed/Explosiveness: 7
Physical Strength: 9
Positional Size: 5
Positional Wingspan: 9
Paint Scoring: 5
Midrange Scoring: 2
Three-Point Scoring: 3
Dribbling: 7
Passing: 9
Perimeter Defense: 8
Interior Defense: 10
Rebounding: 8
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STRENGTHS
Intro
Standing at 6'6" and tipping the scales at 230 pounds, Draymond Green is shorter than most other bigs. However, he has preposterous length relative to his height which helps him be the special type of defender that he is. His wingspan measures a whopping 7'1.25". Green's differentiating factors as a player are his advanced basketball intellect, fast mental processing, and the relentless energy he brings.
Point Forward
On the offensive side, Draymond plays the point forward role very well for the Warriors. Though not a gifted scorer, his passing is top-notch. In 2017-2018, he landed within the top ten for assist points created with 1211 in 70 games played. The only players ahead of him that year were point guards and the historically great wing playmaker, LeBron James.
Despite his exorbitant playmaking duties, Green usually takes care of the ball quite well. He had a 2.30 assist-to-turnover ratio in 2021-2022, besting point guards Lonzo Ball, Kyrie Irving, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
2020-2021 was quite possibly Draymond's best all-around playmaking season. He finished with an average of 22.4 points generated for others per game - tied for fourth-most leaguewide. Dray dropped a career-best 8.9 dimes per contest.
The majority of Draymond's scoring comes out of screen-and-rolls. After setting the screen, he dives hard and uses floaters when needed. He has a high level of focus when finishing, keeping his eyes on the rim even when he has to hang in midair with the opposing bigs.
Green is exceptional at finding cutters and shooters in motion within the flow of the offense. He is patient as he awaits the opportune moment to fire the ball to a player at the end of their curl. A substantial portion of Stephen Curry's and Klay Thompson's open looks are assisted by none other than Draymond and his high-velocity dimes.
As the roll man within pick-and roll-sets, Draymond showcases his vision. He is just enough of an interior scoring threat on his dives that defenders cannot fully commit to the pass. Therefore, he smartly reads the positioning of the nearby defender before deciding what to do.
Oftentimes Green will find his center lurking in the dunker spot after their man rotates over to help. In these short roll scenarios, Draymond frequently utilizes the quick lob to his big man. He has marvelous timing and precision on these little flips to his frontcourt mate.
Pushing Pace
In transition, Green employs a read-and-react approach that dictates where and when the pass will be. He is also a good defensive rebounder and outlet passer which makes for some easy buckets for teammates.
In line with the rest of his basketball smarts, Draymond rightly finds a body as the shot goes. He does his part here so that only he or a teammate will end up with the rock.
He rapidly pushes the ball up with pace after snaring the board which allows his guards and wings to focus on filling the lanes or darting to the corner for a three. By barreling down the floor, Green fosters several quality opportunities for himself and others. He rim runs with conviction and great energy whenever a teammate is orchestrating the break.
High Motor + Scoring Avenues
Draymond plays with a high degree of intensity and has a high motor visible on both ends. Offensively, this manifests as hard drives to the cup after screens or through displaying a strong sense of urgency on the fast break. The broad set of intangibles that Green brings whenever he steps on the court makes up for a lot of the shooting and explosiveness that he lacks relative to other stars.
Though it doesn't happen excessively often, Draymond is a capable initiator within the screen-and-roll. Rather, he prefers to operate out of the post, rifling kick-outs to shooters or bounce passes to cutters. With his back to the basket, Green scans the floor and has a good vantage point to observe all of the various off-ball movements taking place.
Green has quick decision-making skills and sees plays before they even materialize. More specifically, he displays this by delivering the ball ahead of teammates which leads them naturally into open space. This facet of his game, one which he uses in both transition and the half-court, is a hallmark of top tier passers.
Off-the-ball, Draymond remains useful as a solid cutter thanks to his timing and very high basketball IQ. In 2017-2018, he placed in the 85th percentile for his scoring productivity on cuts. His value continues in the form of smart, well-timed off-ball screens for teammates.
He gets some other easy looks within the half-court offense via quick slips. After slipping the screen rather than setting it, Draymond can sharply dart to the hoop to receive a quick pass. With such defensive concern over Kevin Durant and the Splash Brothers over the years, Green has compiled numerous open shots off slips.
Defensive Mastery
Draymond is a versatile, vocal, long, and tenacious defender. He illustrates his basketball intellect on this end in several different ways. For instance, he knows the tendencies of the opposing personnel to the maximum degree.
This know-how is most clearly visible when he lures his man into performing one of their go-to moves, only to be gearing up to disrupt their most common subsequent action. He was eighth in the league with 3.2 deflections per game in 2018-2019. A still-elite 2.9/game was his mark in 2020-2021.
Green's flexibility as a defensive stalwart ranges from his positional versatility to being able to guard all sorts of actions. He can make impactful defensive plays happen in the half-court and transition. His stocky build and immense wingspan help him be a great post defender.
In 2018-2019 Draymond was in the 86th percentile for post-up defense. Additionally, he is also a monster defending rollers with his light feet, strong body and 7'1.25" reach. When defending roll men in 2019-2020, Green landed in the 93rd percentile for his work here.
Green's defensive prowess goes far beyond what the box score can capture. His switchability is virtually unmatched in the NBA, truly able to guard all five positions. His surprisingly nimble feet allow him to shuffle with guards along their attack. Draymond was in the 80th percentile in 2019-2020 for his defense in isolation sequences.
Draymond elevates the play of his teammates on defense. He does this through elite defensive communication skills. He barks out orders as he witnesses the play unfold from the backline of the defense. His ability to orchestrate the defense provides immeasurable value to his team.
Mobility + High Defensive IQ
As a help-side defender, Green has an overwhelmingly positive impact for his squad. He is extremely mobile as a big which he maximizes through his anticipation skills. These two traits work in tandem to produce a 6'6" player that, with blocks + charge-drawing + quality contests, protects the rim like a seven-footer.
He dissects and forecasts the offensive set as few others can. Green's defensive intellect is his true calling card. In his 2016-2017 Defensive Player of the Year campaign, Draymond impressively stifled opponents at the rim. From inside of six feet, he caused players' shooting percentages to plummet 11.8% below their typical field goal clip there.
He provides fundamentally sound contests to shooters and rim finishers alike. This allows him to keep his fouls in check in spite of significant defensive duties. He gets vertical and allows his long arms to provide the resistance. In 2018-2019, he contested the eighth-most three-pointers in the league despite playing in merely 66 games.
Draymond has the remarkable ability to stunt or help towards another player then fully recover back to his man. With his strong, active hands he often gets steals this way by taking a dig at the ball from the side as a player drives. He knows when to bring himself over to double team a ball-handler, reading exactly when a player has turned their head away from him in the post for example.
His ability to control multiple opponents at once helps Green contain pick-and-roll actions well on his own. In case his guard teammate gets stuck on the screen, he can at least temporarily control the two incoming players with his length and maneuverability.
WEAKNESSES
Shaky Shooting
The entirety of Draymond's weak points lies on the offensive end. Particularly as a scorer, he struggles with his jumper or at any point when he must create his own shot. Green has virtually no midrange game to speak of and uses the post strictly as a facilitation hub rather than a viable scoring avenue.
Draymond's lack of a reliable shooting stroke cuts down his value as a floor spacer or as a pop threat after the ball screen. Overall, he hit a miserable 29.9% of his catch-and-shoot threes in 2019-2020. He fell a full percentage point to 28.9% in 2020-2021.
Green rarely gets to the free-throw line in spite of his size and length. When he does arrive at the stripe, he fails to be an efficient shooter. He typically resides between the high 60's and low 70's in terms of free throw percentage.
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