Golden State Warriors: Top 10 NBA Draft picks in franchise history
By Frank Urbina
7. Draymond Green (SF/PF/C) — No. 35 pick in 2012 NBA Draft
Career stats: 397 GP, 9.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 4.1 APG, 1.4 STL, 1.0 BLK, 1.8 TOV, 43.5 FG%, 33.4 3P%, 69.5 FT%
Coming in at No. 7 is another current Warrior, Draymond Green. The outspoken, boisterous, swaggerful big man may not be Golden State’s best player, but he’s the engine that makes them go — especially on the defensive end.
His ability to guard positions 1-5 allows Golden State to use their Death Lineup, which features five players who can handle the ball, shoot and switch everything defensively, when they want to blow games open.
Though head coach Steve Kerr didn’t go to the unit much in these past Finals, it was still…deadly (sorry for the terrible pun) effective in brief stints.
Warriors' Death Lineup has had a positive +/- in every stretch it's played in The Finals. +23 in less than 17 total minutes. pic.twitter.com/AMZ3n6XedN
— John Schuhmann (@johnschuhmann) June 12, 2017
What’s more, over the 2017 NBA Playoffs, the Warriors were +18.9 points per 100 possessions with Green on the floor; that’s even with his relative offensive struggles this year.
Simply put, the former Spartan is among the best (and most unique) defenders the league has to offer. Since he became a full-time starter in 2014-15, Green has ranked second league-wide in defensive win shares twice, and sixth once. It’s a foregone conclusion he’s going to finally win his first Defensive Player of the Year Award in a few weeks too.
It’ll be another honor to go with his two All-Star Game appearances and two All-NBA Defensive First Team berths.
But trust me, I’m sure he cares about the two titles the team has won with him as a key contributor a lot more than all the personal recognition. And that’s why he’s the perfect fit on this Golden State team with so many big-name stars on it.