The Polarizing Case of Draymond Green

Green's impact on basketball is undeniable, but separating his narrative from his influence is challenging.

Getty Images/SizeUP Illustration

NBA Media Day.

For fans, we're looking for a snippet of what to expect with the season being only 15 days away. For the media, it's a time to reacquaint with players who haven't played NBA basketball in at least four months (or never). Sometimes, both parties get more than they ask for, such as a coach giving a two-minute breakdown of lineup ideas. Other times, a poorly stated sentence leads to a headline-worthy interaction. Such was the case between Draymond Green and Scott Olster from the San Francisco Chronicle.

Olster: "Draymond... you know people worry about you, fans, maybe your teammates..."

Green: "Why [are] they worried about me? I am a successful black man in America doing incredibly well. What's to worry about?"

Now, some could take Green's reaction as uncalled for, perhaps understanding the connotation (and hearing the attempts at clarification from Olster) of the statement being grounded in the idea of Green's notoriety for suspensions. But for me, it's a reasonable response understanding that the statement began with no ties to basketball. The way this interaction could've gone would read like this:

Olster: "Draymond, coming off a season where one could argue your suspensions were detrimental to your team's success, what have you learned from last year and what can we expect from you heading into the season?"

Green: "You know, I've had a lot of time to think about last season, and I feel I am in a better place..."

Isolate the actual back-and-forth and it could be used as more fuel to the fire that Draymond has not changed and will continue to be an uncontrolled bully on the basketball court. Zoom out, and it becomes clear that Green's actions and the way the media speaks about those actions have created a narrative that extends beyond the sport. Trying to separate the narrative of Draymond Green (emotional, unchecked, bad person) from his impact on the game of basketball is what makes him one of the most polarizing figures in NBA history. And while I'm not here to defend Green's actions, especially from last season, I am here to bring the focus back to the court and examine the basketball ingenuity of 23.

The tumultuous 2023-24 season

Coming off a second-round elimination to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2023, it seemed that what made the Golden State Warriors dynastic (small ball, three-point shooting, motion, etc.) was no longer the "secret stuff". The league had caught up, and the Warriors' overreliance on undersized bigs seemed to make them an outdated contender in a loaded Western Conference. Or so we thought.

To start the year, Golden State jumped out to a 6-2 start, taking down teams like the Kings, Thunder, and Pelicans. Then came four straight losses, concluding with Green's first suspension of the year (even just rereading those two sentences has me pivoting from this team was good to bad, and it was only 12 games!). An arhythmic start to the season was capped off by the Warriors losing one of their most important pieces. Following Green's suspension, the Warriors went on to extend their losing streak to six and ended the whole nine-game stretch (including when Green last played) with a 2-7 record.

A month into the season, Golden State had hobbled to an 8-9 record, having a slightly above-average offense and an average defense, statistically. In the little time Green had played (87 minutes was the highest five-man lineup involving Green) those numbers looked worse, with a -14.4 net rating. Then, when Green came back, he "helped" the Warriors to two wins over six games before punching Jusuf Nurkic in the face, giving him his second suspension in a month. Before Christmas, Green had either been suspended for or missed more time than he actually played (can you feel how turbulent the start of last year was for this team?).

When Green returned from his 16-game absence, he slowly worked his way back into the starting lineup by coming off the bench his first three games back. After that, the second half of the season had a much different complexion. There were still the fiery roars after a block or a dunk, but when push came to shove, Draymond didn't, in fact, shove. With Green consistently on the court for the last 43 games of the season, the Warriors finished in a four-way tie for the fourth-best record in the NBA at 28-15. Over that stretch, Golden State posted the fifth most efficient offense and seventh-best defense. More so, during the final three months of the season, the five-man lineup of Green, Stephen Curry, Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, and Brandin Podziemski had the eighth-best offense and the third-best defense (of lineups to play at least 200 minutes).

Overall, when Draymond played, the Warriors were a far better team. For the entirety of the season, Green's +6.4 on/off differential was equivalent to 15 wins, per Cleaning the Glass. Meaning, that when Green was on the floor, the Warriors played like a 56-win team. Without him, they played like a .500 ball club. And this all adds up when you consider that Green is one of the best defenders in NBA history as well as a phenomenal playmaker, two things that were key to unlocking Golden State's dynasty.

A golden era

If we rewind the clock to the spring of 2014, the Golden State Warriors had just lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. In the seven-game series, Green had started four games but was still trailing David Lee in minutes. However, an injury to Lee's hamstring in the following preseason thrust Green into the starting lineup. Once in, Green never looked back as the Warriors stormed the league and won 67 games.

Green's versatile defensive capabilities along with his high IQ playmaking made him the perfect connector in Steve Kerr's modernized offense. With a priority on spacing and cutting, Golden State maximized its budding backcourt of Steph Curry and Klay Thompson (a.k.a. the Splash Bros.). That year, the Warriors had the second-highest offensive rating and best defensive rating, accounting for their league-high 9.9 net rating.

This league-wide dominance continued for seasons to come, with Green being a common denominator. From the Warriors' first championship, until their three-peat was stripped from them due to Kevin Durant's injury, they ranked within the top three in offensive rating and the top 11 defensively. During that same stretch, Green was featured in the Warriors' best five-man lineups ("Death Lineup" not included) that posted a league-high offensive rating in 2019 and the fourth-best defense in 2015. The beauty of this Golden State run was that its best lineup wasn't its most used. The Warriors maintained the option to go big, but when they went small, there wasn't a better five-man unit in the NBA. The ingenious of tactically going small completely revolutionized the game, leading to what became officially known as the "Death Lineup" (Curry, Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Barnes/Durant, Green).

After Lee's injury, Kerr experimented with a smaller lineup, plugging Green in at center and the latter's draft mate, Harrison Barnes, at the four. Kerr's decision to downsize fully actualized Green's potential, who at one point left scouts uncertain of his fit in the NBA. Historically, centers weren't play initiators but rather play finishers. Some of the greatest bigs ever, such as Shaquille O'Neal, Wilt Chamberlain, or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, were paired with guards or wings who could get them the ball. An action was run, traditionally leading to a post-up for a scoring opportunity. With Green at the five, standing a generous 6'6", he was empowered to initiate the offense for others, serving as the waiter delivering delicious dimes from anywhere on the floor.

Whether that was off a defensive rebound, from the top of the key, or out of the vaunted low-post split action, Green's pinpoint passing and high-processing skills left defenses looking for answers and finding none. And when the possession changed, he was just as destructive, using his instincts and long arms to protect the rim and plug holes on the perimeter. In fact, in 2017, Green became just the seventh player since 1977-78 to average at least seven assists, two steals and 1.4 blocks, showcasing his impactful two-way play. Statistically, the numbers matched the eye test, both from an individual and team standpoint. From 2015 to 2019, the "Death Lineup" was either the best or one of the best five-man combinations in the league:

"Death Lineup" rankings by differential of points scored/allowed per 100 (Cleaning the Glass)

2014-15: 2nd

2015-16: 1st

2016-17: 7th

2017-18: 30th (Curry missed 31 games)

2018-19: 1st

Green redefined the role of the center position, acting as the anchor of one of the league's most versatile defenses and setting up his teammates on some of the most explosive offenses in NBA history. Viewed on a timeline, this Warriors' team demarcated the beginning of the pace and space era, and it rested on Draymond Green's ability to guard 1-5 and punish defenses with his passing.

Even today, when he plays, Green is still one of the best defenders in the league and provides playmaking relief for Curry to burry the opposition away from the ball. A cerebral, fiery competitor on both ends of the floor, Green is the heart and soul of the Golden State Warriors. Hate him or love him, he has had an undeniable impact on the game. So no, we don't need to worry about Draymond Green. Instead, we should appreciate the game changer from Saginaw, Michigan whose assertive personality helped raise one of the great modern dynasties in NBA history.