The Golden State Warriors wouldn’t have won three championships without Draymond Green doing what he does best. His impact as a defender, facilitator, and motivator is not something that’s easily quantified, which is partly what leaves him open to the type of criticism he’s received from Charles Barkley and others who would minimize his contributions based solely on stat lines.
A big part of his impact comes from his enormous versatility as a defender. His feel, his awareness, and his ability to anticipate what the opposing team is going to do and react accordingly allows him to wreak havoc on the court. He truly belongs up there with the greats when you start mentioning the best defenders of all-time.
But the very best? Not so fast, says one of his contemporaries. Tony Allen, the Grindfather himself, took exception to Green’s recent comments that he believes himself to be the best defender in NBA history.
BIG 🧢!!! Who stamped you? Who you clamp!?
In the words of Jay Z! “We don’t believe u, u need more people!” @money23green https://t.co/HxBtYXAGXg
— Tony Allen (@aa000G9) March 23, 2021
And Allen brings up a salient point when asked about who’s given Green their stamp of approval, a reference to the fact that none other than Kobe Bryant once pegged Allen as the best defender he’s ever faced. It’s hard to argue with that kind of endorsement. But Green, of course, wasn’t going to take that lying down.
I was waiting on you to stamp me Big homie, but your stamp book started running low in 2015 when we used you against your team on the way to my 1ST championship. https://t.co/mDHfltdfZ0
— Draymond Green (@Money23Green) March 23, 2021
Ouch. Allen walked right into that one. What was shaping up to be a competitive series between the Grizzlies and Warriors in 2015 did indeed quickly turn south when Golden State simply stopped guarding Allen when he had the ball, effectively neutralizing his impact. However, Allen made sure to fire back one more time about Green’s own shooting struggles, saying the Warriors are playing “4-on-5” now.
https://twitter.com/aa000G9/status/1374451838896852999
None of this exactly settles the dispute over who is the better defender, but it’s quite entertaining. In the end, it’s largely subjective, and players from other eras, like Scottie Pippen or Hakeem Olajuwon, would probably have something to say about it as well. Both Green and Allen are great in their own respect, regardless of GOAT status.
