Earlier this week, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was named to the All-NBA Defensive First Team. It was his ninth time receiving such an accolade in his career, and marked the first time since the 2020-21 NBA season that he was named to the first team. And he likely would have had another, had he made enough appearances to qualify last season.
In the 2016-17 season, Green went one better and was named the Defensive Player of the Year, the same year that he led the league in steals for the first time. He also was named the winner of the 2024-25 NBA Hustle Award, and was in with a realistic chance of his second DPOY award in what was a resurgent season for him.
As the undersized five man in the Warriors’ fabled “death” line-ups, Draymond has been a transformative influence in how NBA teams defend. Versatile enough to defend larger opponents and able to play all across the frontcourt, while also switching onto guards better than every other centre and creating mismatches on offense with his shooting and playmaking, Green has changed the game. It is no exaggeration to say that the league is different now because of him.
Draymond Green, undeniably, knows how to defend. So when he said this week that he could not figure out how to stop Indiana Pacers forward Pascal Siakam, he is paying him a huge compliment.
Game Recognise Game
Speaking as part of TNT’s Inside The NBA crew after Game Two of the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals between the Pacers and the New York Knicks, Draymond was effusive with his praise. He freely admitted that he “lost” matchups with the Pacers’ All-Star forward, something he admitted to only doing one other time.
“He’s a very tough cover, he reminds me of Boris Diaw“, Green said, citing the famously tricky former French national team forward. “As soon as you touch his body, he spins off of you so you can never get leverage on him.”
“I was speaking the other day about our series with Minnesota, and I was saying I lost my matchup to Julius Randle. The only other time I really felt I lost my matchup in a series was against Pascal Siakam. When we played Toronto, he destroyed me. He’s an extremely tough cover.”
Siakam Bested Draymond In The Finals
Not exactly a shy and retiring personality, Draymond clearly recognises the developments that Siakam has made in his career.
Having entered the NBA as more of a hustler, occasional post player and corner shooter, Siakam has grown massively as an all-around player, with excellent footwork, shot-making abilities, body control, finishing and skill with the ball in his hands. He has become an extremely tough cover, to the point that even the best coverer in the league concedes he lost their battle.
When Draymond’s Warriors met Siakam’s Raptors in the 2019 NBA Finals, Siakam came out on top. He scored 32 points on 14-17 shooting in his Finals debut, and famously crossed up Draymond for the last bucket with 27 seconds left in what would be the decisive Game Six. And in the six years since then, Siakam – now a three-time All-Star – has only gotten better.
Fuelled by Siakam’s 28.0 points per game in the first two contests, the Pacers are tantalisingly close to their first NBA Finals series since 2004. If they make it, they will have the experience to turn to of a man in Siakam who has proven himself to be a Finals game-winner. Siakam has become such a good player that Draymond Green, the man who never loses – and who even more infrequently admits it – has to concede that he was bested. Game recognise game.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post “He Destroyed Me”: Draymond Green Shouts Out Pacers Star appeared first on Heavy Sports.