Following an impressive win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr opened up on the impact of Draymond Green. Defensively, Kerr said that Green is the best he’s ever seen and that his skills open up the floor for all of his teammates.
“Draymond was doing what Draymond’s been doing for 13 years,” said Kerr. “He’s the best defensive player I’ve ever seen in my life. He was everywhere, guarding everyone. He just has a way of helping every single teammate by being in the right spot and thwarting different advantages the opponent has. He makes our defense go, he makes the game much easier for all of the other guys.”
Before he was the head coach of the Warriors, Kerr played for 15 years in the NBA, where he averaged 6.0 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game for his career While he was never an elite defender himself, Kerr was there to witness the dominance of stars like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman.
For Rodman, especially, the case is strong for being the best defender of all time. By the time he retired in 2000, he was a 5x champion, 3x Defensive Player of the Year, and 8x All-Defensive player with career averages of 7.3 points, 13.1 rebounds, 0.6 blocks, and 0.7 steals per game on 52.1% shooting.
Still, even after winning three championships with Rodman, Steve Kerr says Draymond Green is the best defender he’s ever seen. The former 35th overall pick has hit legendary status with the Warriors, and his defensive efforts have been crucial to their success in the Stephen Curry era.
From 2015-2021, Draymond was routinely in the DPOY conversation. His ability to switch and guard every position made him invaluable on the court and allowed other players (like Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson) to focus their efforts entirely on scoring. As the enforcer and motivator for his team, Green often employs questionable tactics to get the upper hand, and it’s made him a lot of enemies in the NBA.
This season was shaping up to be another disappointment for Green and the Warriors before the arrival of Jimmy Butler sparked life back into the organization. After he joined in February, the Warriors became a different team, and Draymond was one of the first to adjust. Under his leadership, their defense has been elite, and it was the story of the game in their latest playoff victory this week.
In Game 1 against the Timberwolves on Tuesday, Draymond dropped 18 points, eight rebounds, and six assists as the starting center, going +11 in 34 minutes. They held the Wolves to 88 points on just 39.5% shooting (17.2% from three). That’s just a few nights after holding the Rockets to 89 points in Game 7 to secure the win in round one.
Going into Thursday’s game, Draymond knows to expect a bitter fight as the Timberwolves look to defend their home court. If he can match their size and physicality in the frontcourt, it may be enough to hold it down and survive whatever response comes from Anthony Edwards.
