There are many reasons why Draymond Green has risen from a second-round pick to one of the signature stars of the NBA — his work ethic, his versatility, his mouth — but the biggest one might be his intelligence. Kobe himself called Dray a “student of the game.” Like any student, Draymond studies — but not always the way you might think.
Sure, Green watches game film to prepare for opponents, but he also watches basketball in his free time — WNBA games, to be more precise. And his reason for doing so, as he told Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated, is the same one your dad (or uncle, or any oldhead you know) cites — the fundamentals.
“In the NBA there’s always a guy who is only around because he can jump. He doesn’t have a clue about the fundamentals. I learn more from the WNBA. They know how to dribble, how to pivot, how to use the shot fake.”
From the longer piece, you can glean details about just how smart Green is about the game of basketball, and how quickly and deeply he analyzes the game. With that frame of reference, it makes sense that watching someone like Bismack Biyombo or Clint Capela — talented and valuable players, both — fumble a simple entry pass would send him through the roof. Even in what he calls “off time,” Dray never stops thinking and learning, which is exactly why he’s become as great as he is.
(Via Sports Illustrated)
