- Kevin McHale was one of the best forwards to have played in the NBA
- The Celtics legend was confident that he could best Draymond Green
- McHale vs. Green would be quite the contest
Kevin McHale was one of the most dominant power forwards in the NBA during his era. His post moves were electric and in turn, contributed richly to Larry Bird and the Boston Celtics’ success. And the man firmly believes he could have got the better of Draymond Green has he played in today’s NBA.
In a previous interview, McHale was confident that he could dominate Green and relished that challenge:
“I can guarantee you one thing, tall skilled beats small skilled all the time…a small skilled beats a big stiff all the time. … I would’ve loved having a Draymond Green guard me, I don’t care how many threes, what he would do. He couldn’t grow enough to guard me.”
Playing in the post is taxing and thankless, and McHale knew how to take the pain, and then dish out some. And he was mentally tough while at it. Remember the time when he broke his navicular bone and played through it? McHale played 77 of 82 games in 1987 with a fractured foot.
McHale had a roster of moves in his arsenal in all of his 13 impressive seasons with the Celtics.
Starting off as a player coming off the bench, he went on win two sixth man of the Year awards before making a mark as a full-time starter in 1986. He helped Boston win three championships in his 13 years, and the numbers were nothing but stacked.
His career was short-lived as he aggravated the injury and ended his NBA run in 1993. He averaged 17.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in the 971 games he suited up for and became a vital cog in the Boston unit, rightly making his case to be part of our Celtics’ All-time GOAT pyramid.
Draymond Green Is An Elite Defender, Making The McHale Contest Against Him A Tough Battle
Draymond Green is regarded as one of the best defenders in the modern-day NBA for a reason. The NBA DPOY has been instrumental in helping the Golden State Warriors win four of their titles. He made the first and second All-NBA teams four times each and that shows how elite he is on the defensive end.
If Green would take on McHale, that would mean Boston going small ball and McHale starting at center instead of Robert Parish. This would pit the two stalwarts against each other, making for an interesting battle in the post.
What makes Green a brilliant defensive presence is his ability to read the game, and run on the motor filled with energy. He may not be the quickest or shoot a ton of buckets every game, but the work he does defensively makes it easier for Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson to score at will.
Safe to say, McHale vs. Green will indeed be an intriguing contest.
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