Draymond Green is one of the best to ever to do it on the defensive side of the ball. However, is he the greatest? FS1 reporter Nick Wright certainly doesn’t think so.
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The Warriors have had no issue scoring this season, ranking second in the NBA in offensive rating. And yet, its defense has been even more impressive. A big reason why is none other than Draymond Green, who has been their defensive anchor for quite a few seasons now.
With six All-Defensive selections on his resume, it’s hard to believe Green has just DPOY Award. However, currently being the best defender on the best defensive team in the NBA, the forward is firmly in the race for his second DPOY award.
The 3x NBA champion’s impressive defensive performances have got people talking about where he ranks on the greatest defenders of all-time list.
In fact, Green has said on multiple occasions that he is the greatest defender in NBA history.
This is why Draymond thinks he’s the greatest defender of all time 🤨
Y’all agree?
pic.twitter.com/NpYltVclx4— Yahoo Sportsbook (@YahooSportsbook) December 14, 2021
However, FS1 reporter Nick Wright clearly did not agree with this take and had some harsh words for the 31-year-old. So, what exactly did he say? Read on and find out…
Nick Wright claims Hakeem Olajuwon and Tim Duncan are better defenders than Draymond Green.
Draymond Green is an elite defender. However, to call him the greatest defender of all time might be bit of a stretch. In fact, Nick Wright echoes the same in a recent sitting. He goes on to say –
“Draymond Green went out and once again and said he’s the greatest defender in NBA history. And, listen, Draymond is one of the greatest defenders ever. Stop it. Here’s the deal, Draymond.”
“The two greatest defenders in modern NBA history are: No. 2, the somehow wildly underrated Tim Duncan, and No. 1 with a bullet, unquestionably the greatest defensive player of the last 50 years in the NBA, Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon.”
“Hakeem Olajuwon is the greatest defender of all-time and I’m not asking you to go to (old archives) to watch tapes of him. Your guys’ careers damn near overlapped. So, I respect you Draymond, but just simmer down a bit. Hakeem “The Dream”: Greatest defender ever. Everybody knows it. Let’s move on. Thank you, Draymond.”
Check out the full clip here:
“Draymond should’ve won 3 consecutive DPOY awards. … But the 2 greatest defenders in modern NBA history are Tim Duncan &, No.1 with a bullet, Hakeem Olajuwon. Hakeem is the greatest defender of all time.”
— @getnickwright on Draymond saying he’s the GOAT defender: pic.twitter.com/0QEdmqFVQ1
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) December 14, 2021
While what he says is quite harsh, it is ultimately true. Hakeem Olajuwon is the greatest defender in the history of the NBA.
How good was Hakeem Olajuwon really on defense?
When basketball aficionados talk about the greatness of Hakeem Olajuwon, it’s always his ‘dream shake’, spin moves, ball fakes, and silky-smooth jumpers that are brought up. However, what gets lost in all this is the real reason why Hakeem is one of the best to ever to do it: his defense.
Hakeem Olajuwon is the leader of the NBA’s All-time blocks list with an astounding 3,830 blocks. Just to put things into perspective, the next player on the list is Dikembe Mutombo with 3,289 blocks. However, Green competes a little better in steals, averaging 1.4 per game for his career. Meanwhile, Dream averages 1.7 steals per game.
The gap in stocks, which is combined steals and blocks, which according to Bill Simmons is the best way to gauge a defender’s dominance, is even higher. Dray’s top stocks season was again 2016-2017, racking up a respectable 260 stocks.
Olajuwon, however, peaked at a career-high 550 stocks in 1989-1990. Moreover, he had 13 consecutive seasons where he had more stocks than Green’s best season and didn’t sink to Green’s level until he was well past his prime. Hakeem Olajuwon has two of them to Green’s one, and Olajuwon also has nine total All-Defense selections to Green’s five.
All that being said, Green is clearly a very good defender. Is he a great one? I think we can attach that label to anyone who has won DPOY. However, is he the greatest defender of all time? Not even close.
