Draymond Green reveals 5 NBA legends who he wanted to emulate the most before forging his own identity: “End up not being who I became”
Golden State Warriors legend Draymond Green is a menace on the court. One of the best defenders in the modern game, Green is one of the three most important Warriors stars of the present generation, alongside Klay Thompson and Steph Curry.
Having shared the court with some of the best offensive stars of the generation, Green’s own transformation has been uniquely interesting to watch. After being selected by the Warriors as the 35th overall pick of the 2012 NBA draft, he has consistently found himself on teams that have a prominent need for his defensive skills.
That, in turn, eventually led to a transformation of sorts, converting Draymond Green into the defensive maestro that he is today, albeit at the expense of offensive talent. During his recent appearance on the "7PM in Brooklyn Podcast," Green revealed to Carmelo Anthony how the transformation took place.
In doing so, he explained how he initially took inspiration from several legends. This included Paul Millsap, Chuck Hayes, Dennis Rodman, Resheed Wallace and Ben Wallace, as well as Carmelo Anthony:
"For me, I grew up pulling stuff from people’s games. Pulling from Melo, I used to pull off fadeaways and all that, that was my game.
"Paul Millsap, I used to watch Paul Milsap, undersized, foreman, moving, I watched Paul Millsap. Chuck Hayes, I used to try to pull from Chuck Hayes. Undersized, great defender, so I watched Chuck Hayes’ game. And then, going back and watching like Dennis Rodman.
"I was blessed to grow up in the state of Michigan when Ben Wallace was coming through there. Rasheed Wallace is one of the most skilled players I ever seen in my life. I don’t got Rasheed’s skills, but like, I am watching Ben Wallace and he is gooning people.
"So I am pulling from all of these guys, different things, then end up not being who I became though. In going to the Warriors, me trying to be a scorer would never work."
Hence, while the transformation resulted in Draymond Green helping the Warriors to four NBA titles, it also meant he became known as a defensive stalwart, instead of the two-way maestro that he initially arrived as.
Draymond Green was labeled a ‘tweener’ when he first joined the NBA
Draymond Green also explained that his abilities on both ends of the court meant that the coaches did not know where to play him. He claimed that he was initially labeled as a "tweener," before explaining what it meant:
“It was a label and it was called a tweener when I came out… being labeled a tweener was a death sentence. Undersized. You don’t have a position on the floor, they don’t know where to play you at.”
Hence, while he may have gained a reputation as a defensive monster, Green had a much different mindset back in high school:
"Growing up though for me, I used to watch a few different guys and try to put that in my game. Who I became in the NBA is totally different from who I grew up as. I grew up score, score score. I play defense but I ain’t checking like that."
Of course, while his career resulted in a range of sacrifices for the benefit of the team, Draymond Green will have no regrets. A four-time NBA champion and the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year, the 33-year-old has already done enough to safeguard his NBA legacy.