Draymond is the key to everything the Warriors have been doing since it became a dynasty but is he better than Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Carmelo Anthony?
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When it’s all said and done, Draymond Green will be one of the most impactful players of all time and will be a top name for the first-ballot Hall of Fame.
But he couldn’t make it to the NBA’s top-75 players of all time alongside his Warriors teammate Klay Thompson. And not many raised voices over his snub as they did for Thompson, Dwight Howard, Kyrie Irving, and a few others.
Now keeping in mind that Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden all made it there over him suggests their greatness over him.
Question is, which NBA coach would pick those guys over Green? I’d go one step further and ask would anybody even pick Chris Paul over him? Maybe Mike D’Antoni, but that’s it, that’s the complete list.
The Dubs point-forward is a much more impactful player than any of those guys, and the Fox Sports analyst has been making the case for him on his show The Herd with Colin Cowherd for a while.
Don’t take Draymond Green for granted:
“I would take his career over Carmelo Anthony or Russell Westbrook and I think I’d take it over James Harden.” — @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/xlm3mKQbMC
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) May 3, 2022
Colin Cowherd believes comparing Draymond Green with Carmelo Anthony is laughable
Recently having interviewed Draymond on his pod, Colin came in with a rejuvenated enthusiasm to put some respect on Green’s name. He talked about the influence Dray has as a leader, defender, and playmaker. Cowherd went as far as to say he laughs at the idea of fans choosing Anthony over Green as a better basketball player.
“Draymond Green has influence, and I think influence is what creates cultures. Influence does. And cultures are really important in winning. Most basketball fans believe Carmelo Anthony is better than Draymond Green, and I just laugh at that. That’s a very unsophisticated look at basketball.” Cowherd said.
Don’t underestimate Draymond Green’s value to the Warriors…
“He has had massive influence in the greatest basketball culture over the last decade.” — @ColinCowherd pic.twitter.com/9mSeeHZXvu
— Herd w/Colin Cowherd (@TheHerd) June 1, 2022
The man might be right about everything he said, but still, we have got to remember that as significant as defending and play-making are, scoring wins games. And 82 games take you to the Playoffs. Those three players ruled numerous regular seasons like only few did in the history of the game.
Although great defenders emerge because of great scorers, we should never compare a pure scorer and a defense-first guy because the latter will always seem more impactful, most importantly if he has played with an elite offense all his career.
It was lucky for everyone at Golden State that Curry, Thompson, and Green were in the same team at the same time to create what they did, otherwise who knows that each of them would win even one championship if even one of them were in some other team.
