Draymond Green was considered the heart and soul of the Golden State Warriors last season. Our friends over at MankindUnplugged recently had the opportunity to sit down with Draymond and discuss the Warriors, his new contract, Twitter and the differences between playing under head coach Steve Kerr and former coach Mark Jackson.
Green is one of the most charismatic players in the league, even if his rise to the top of the NBA is unusual. As most probably know by now, “Day Day” was largely overlooked by NBA teams, despite being a first team All-American at Michigan State and the 2012 Big Ten Player of the Year. He ended up as a second round pick in the 2012 Draft, viewed by most, as a guy too small to play in the paint and too slow to play on the perimeter. Of course whatever Green lacked in natural skills, he made up for in heart.
In three short years in the NBA, Green has emerged into one of the most versatile role players in the league. This past season he averaged just under 12 points, with eight rebounds and nearly four assists a game, finishing second in voting for both the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year and Most Improved Player. Oh, and if you hadn’t heard, he also helped the Warriors win their first NBA Championship in 40 years as well.
Tam: Who is the hardest to guard in the NBA?
Draymond: There have been multiple different guys for different reasons. You know, obviously, KD is tough to guard. He can score so many different ways. He is so agile. He is 7 feet moving like a point guard, shooting like a shooting guard. He can post up like a 3 or 4 man and can rebound like a 5. He is so versatile. It makes him hard to guard. The one guy I struggled with early on in my career was Manu Ginóbili. He’s just so shifty.
There’s a lot of different guys that present some challenges. LeBron is just so powerful and smart, he gets whatever he wants. There’s a lot of different guys, you know, that present different challenges.
Tam: What do you think has been the biggest transition going in front of Mark Jackson as coach to Steve Kerr?
Draymond: I believe the biggest transition for me was the offensive styles. Coach Jackson was a little more iso, a little more pick and roll. Coach Kerr is like everything is based on ball movement. That’s the biggest adjustment as far as offense.
Tam: Aside from winning a championship, what’s been your favorite part of the season so far? Or what was?
Draymond: Just every day with my teammates. We have fun all the time. Whenever we’re around each other, whether it’s on the plane, in practice, in film, during the games, before the games, dinner, we always have fun together, so just being able to have fun with my teammates and the relationships that we create, they’ll last for a lifetime. It’s really a brotherhood.
Tam: I’ve got to ask, what’s the first thing you bought since you got your extension?
To check out Draymond’s answer and read the rest of the interview, head over to MankindUnplugged.
