Draymond Green is many things. He is an All-Star, he’s tough, he’s a great distributor, he’s one of the league’s top defenders, and he might even be the league’s perfect “stretch five.” But is he the NBA’s top all-around player? His teammate Andrew Bogut seems to think so.
On @Money23Green, "He's probably the best all around player in the league at this point." pic.twitter.com/5WTqr2LQjY
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) May 1, 2016
Now, let’s not get too up in arms at Bogut for the quote, as he is just supporting his teammate. Even if he’s wrong, he is, it’s for good reason: Bogut plays with Green every day and has seen him develop from a fringe rotation player into perhaps one of the top ten players in the entire NBA.
The “best” all-around player is a tough one to qualify, but for argument’s sake, let’s say Bogut means the ability to make an impact on both sides of the floor, which — ironically — might take his other teammate, Steph Curry, out of the discussion (Steph is an overlooked defender, but he’s not getting DPOY votes). Green is certainly in the discussion, but there are a couple of guys — one named Kawhi and the other LeBron — who probably have a better argument for this distinction. Kawhi Leonard was named the Defensive Player of the Year the last two seasons, and is in the running to finish somewhere in the top five after Curry for league MVP this season. LeBron, on the other hand, has been dominating both sides of the ball for over a decade now, and is still the most fearsome player in the NBA — when he wants to be. (LeBron’s not as inspired as Kawhi — or Draymond — on the defensive side of the ball during the regular season, but that’s only because his greatness is now measured in championship hardware, and little else.)
So, Bogut probably isn’t correct, but he may not be as far off as one might initially think. Green is still developing his game in only his fourth NBA season, and he has the potential to push his way further into this conversation in the years to come.
