Draymond Green has long shouldered the role of being the primary playmaker for the Golden State Warriors through their historic run of 6 Finals in 8 years. While Steph may end up averaging more assists than Draymond because of just how often he has the ball in his hands, Green has always been the primary table-setter for the Warriors.
Draymond has incredible vision, court presence, and IQ to find the open spaces he needs to get his teammates the best looks. Point guards are usually extensions of the coach on the floor, but Draymond serves that role for GSW as their power forward.
Over the course of the run that Golden State has been on in the last 8 years, Green has accumulated a lot of Finals stats. With a pass that led to a bucket against the Boston Celtics, Green completed his 188th assist over the course of his NBA Finals career, 10th most all-time ahead of Larry Bird and Kobe Bryant.
Congrats to @Money23Green of the @warriors for moving up to 10th on the All-Time NBA Finals Assists list! #NBA75 pic.twitter.com/7KMek8ZPCC
— NBA (@NBA) June 6, 2022
Green had five assists through the first half of Game 2 against the Celtics, as Golden State look to overturn a 1-0 deficit and even the series up before they head to Boston for Game 3. Draymond has some illustrious company on the all-time assists list with LeBron James, Magic Johnson, and Michael Jordan on it as well.
Draymond could realistically cross John Havlicek even if this series ended in four games, as he is rapidly approaching on Havlicek’s position as 9th with 195 assists. If this series stretches to seven, Green would be a strong contender to overtake either Scottie Pippen or Michael Jordan on this list.
Draymond has quietly been the motor behind the Warriors’ revolutionary offense, as he is the one executing the sets Steve Kerr has been drawing up. Maybe as this team ages out of the league, people will better appreciate Draymond’s contributions to it.
