Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has often been slammed by retired NBA legends, with the likes of Oscar Robertson, Charles Barkley, and several others questioning his on-court antics and his basketball legacy.
Some former and current players have also expressed that Green, a four-time NBA champion, has benefited from playing alongside the likes of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant at various points in his career.
However, another NBA legend, Dwyane Wade, is unwilling to disrespect Green. On the “Wy Network” podcast, Wade called the Warriors star “a winner” through and through and a player whose contributions don’t always show up on the boxscore.
“I just think that if someone wants to argue about Draymond’s individual ranking, they just want to argue,” Wade said.
“…Draymond Green’s career would not be talked about him as an individual player. It would be talked about him as a winner, as a team player, as a leader, all these things. Like, if you’re a Draymond fan, you can’t care what Draymond is ranked as an individual player because he doesn’t go out with that individual mentality.”
Not About Individual Stats
As Wade alluded to, Green has never put up statistics that paint him as a star. In 13 seasons with the Warriors, he has averaged a modest 8.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks. Green has averaged double-digit points only four times in his career, and only once came close to averaging a double-double, when he tallied a career-high 14.0 points and 9.5 rebounds in the 2015-16 season.
However, Green’s ability to guard all five positions on the floor has always been appreciated by analysts and fans alike. The Michigan State alum has made an impressive nine All-Defensive Teams in his career and captured his lone Defensive Player of the Year award in 2017.
Besides his defense, Green has often been viewed as the initiator of a Golden State offense that doesn’t rely heavily on traditional pick-and-roll or ISO basketball, with Curry excelling without the ball rather than initiating sets.
When ‘Big O’ Ripped Draymond Green
While retired players such as Wade appreciate Green’s intangibles — and his overall impact on winning — others such as Robertson haven’t shared the same view.
In February 2025, Robertson implied that Green wouldn’t have four NBA titles if he didn’t play on a team with Curry, while reacting to Green’s comments about modern NBA offenses lacking creativity.
“Draymond says so much,” Robertson said, via Cincinnati.com.
“Who cares what Draymond says? It doesn’t mean anything. You know people, this is what I mean. One guy can say this and one guy can say that. The game is what it is. People either like the game or they don’t. And I think people enjoy the game, especially if their team can win.
“And if you look at the basketball, it might be boring to him because if he’s not passing the ball to Curry, what is he doing? I mean not to single that out because I think he knows how to play basketball. But he’s passing the ball to Curry more than anyone I’ve ever seen in basketball. And so it means a lot. You know, it might be boring to him at times because of what he’s doing. Maybe it is boring when he’s out there.
“He’s not getting – he’s not shooting a shot. He’s not shooting a lot. And he’s not guarding a lot. So it’s boring.”
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