Draymond Green wasn’t voted in as a starter for the 2015-16 All-Star Game, and that was unfortunate. The fans apparently didn’t notice Green’s contribution to the Golden State Warriors. The team is 39-4 so far, and they’re gunning for the record of 72 wins that the Chicago Bulls set during the 1995-96 season.
We all knew what Stephen Curry was capable of after his amazing run last year to win the NBA‘s MVP award and the championship, but we didn’t know that Green could average 7.4 assists per game. He is also recording 14.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.3 steals as of Friday afternoon, and these type of numbers should make him the front-runner to be defensive player of the year.
Curry and Klay Thompson are both benefitting from Green’s passing in the pick-and-roll game, and the Warriors will have no problem in the playoffs against any team other than the San Antonio Spurs. This is due to Golden State’s shooting and defensive versatility. When they go small, there aren’t many teams in the NBA that can hold them under 30 points per quarter. That is a blistering pace to keep up with, and Green is the main reason they are such a defensive juggernaut. Curry and Thompson make them special when it comes to shooting, but Draymond helps set those guys up for wide open shots when opposing defenses break down.
The Warriors are now the clear-cut favorites to repeat as champions after the Cleveland Cavaliers panicked and fired former head coach David Blatt, and you have to think that losses to Golden State on Christmas and Martin Luther King, Jr. Day had something to do with this. Green isn’t getting enough credit for the Warriors’ success, and that is why this article was necessary to write. Draymond should be voted into the All-Star Game as a reserve if there is any justice in the basketball universe.
