Draymond Green...

[unknowns8]

... how come this guy is so low in all the mocks I keep reading on the net?

trip-dubs in college ball man...

and wassup with the 'not big enough to play power forward, not agile enough to play small forward' attitude??

i couldn't disagree more... if gets onthe right team with a coach who utilises him properly, I think he will hit the ground running... not superstar stats but impressive and timely contributions on both ends

I'm thinking of takin him early in my fantasy draft... yay or nay?

[JMT]

Mocks I've seen have him at the end of the first. Just about right.

When a player at a big program stays around for four years, it usually means he's just not that great an NBA prospect.

He's only about 6'6" and not very athletic. Couldn't deal at all with the length or Louisville's big guy, who is incredibly raw.

He could be DeJuan Blair, which is an ok upside, though he lacks Blair's freakishly long arms. Backup frontcourt player who doesn't really have a position. Has decent range on his shot, works hard, strong body, which as a package will help interest NBA teams.

[Goliath Uterus]

Useless in the NBA.

[ILLsmak]

Mocks I've seen have him at the end of the first. Just about right.

When a player at a big program stays around for four years, it usually means he's just not that great an NBA prospect.

He's only about 6'6" and not very athletic. Couldn't deal at all with the length or Louisville's big guy, who is incredibly raw.

He could be DeJuan Blair, which is an ok upside, though he lacks Blair's freakishly long arms. Backup frontcourt player who doesn't really have a position. Has decent range on his shot, works hard, strong body, which as a package will help interest NBA teams.

Thinking more of like Leonard. I'd put him at the SF not the PF/C like Blair.

Guys who go hard and bang will always have a place in the NBA. He's not a lotto pick, but he is a solid player.

-Smak

[Thorpesaurous]

The problem with the all around skill set star college player with limited athleticism at the NBA level is that all those star things he can do, and Green can do a lot of them, he can handle well for his size, he has vision, a feel for the game, but most of those things require him to have the ball in his hands. And at the next level, he simply doesn't have the upside to be given the ball. That's why you're better off being a lesser player but one who's a specialist at that point. A drop dead shooter, like Steve Novak. A guy who can be a stopper on the perimeter, like Tony Allen. A guy who can go to the glass and rebound, like Blair. Have a specific skill.

However in recent years, we've seen a few more all around kind of guys get undervalued and wind up outplaying their draft slot. I think some of this is a result of the "zone", or at least softening of the illegal D's, allow for more value to be placed on having ancillary players who just excel at doing smart basketball things. The first guy who comes to mind is a guy I saw in college a few times in person and loved. Wes Matthews did everything for Marquette. If they were pressed he bought it up. If they needed a bucket it went to him. He defended whoever was hot. And he got the tough rebounds. He slipped because by doing all those things, it wasn't clear he could excel at any one position. And while not a star, he fits in, and he's fit in on two teams now. The other guy is a guy I could see Green playing a similar role too. Big Baby Davis was a legit collegiate monster. Undersized, but admittedly more naturally athletic than Green, but he's a guy who just knows how to play, and he's found a valuable role on two contending teams now off the bench. I could see Green coming off the bench and being a high post facilitator for a bench team. He could also fall a little short of that and play a Chuck Hayes type role just by being tough, but I think he's a little better than that.

The other option is he goes to Europe and becomes a significant player there because his all around game would play there.

[JMT]

Thinking more of like Leonard. I'd put him at the SF not the PF/C like Blair.

Guys who go hard and bang will always have a place in the NBA. He's not a lotto pick, but he is a solid player.

-Smak

Leonard? A defense-first 6'7" wing who came out at 20 yrs old with a very unrefined offensive game and little or no outside shot?

You could look at Leonard in college and immediately see where he'd fit on a pro roster: as a very athletic defensive specialist who hopefully develops an offensive game over time.

Man, it's hard for me to see a single similarity between the two.

[ILLsmak]

Leonard? A defense-first 6'7" wing who came out at 20 yrs old with a very unrefined offensive game and little or no outside shot?

You could look at Leonard in college and immediately see where he'd fit on a pro roster: as a very athletic defensive specialist who hopefully develops an offensive game over time.

Man, it's hard for me to see a single similarity between the two.

I find much more of a similarity between he and Leonard than he and Blair.

Green is a beast. He'll fit in. I'd draft him.

-Smak

[Grinder]

Draymond Green has absolutely no similarity to Kawhi Leonard. The closest comparison I can think of is a slightly shorter Boris Diaw.

[ILLsmak]

Draymond Green has absolutely no similarity to Kawhi Leonard. The closest comparison I can think of is a slightly shorter Boris Diaw.

That's still way off. Diaw isn't a banger.

-Smak

[unknowns8]

I think of Green as an aggressive Marquis Daniels... a SF who can play backup PG at a pinch... ideal for any team looking for someone to take over the PG/SF roles when starters are resting

[JMT]

I think of Green as an aggressive Marquis Daniels... a SF who can play backup PG at a pinch... ideal for any team looking for someone to take over the PG/SF roles when starters are resting

Then you have never, ever seen Draymond Green.

[unknowns8]

Then you have never, ever seen Draymond Green.

[Jailblazers7]

The thought of Green ever playing PG is pretty stupid.

[JMT]

Green isn't a PG at any level. Just idiocy.

[The Big Skinny]

I think he could become a decent role player. Dude is VERY skilled, has the motor and the killer instinct to make it in the NBA. If he can slim down and work on his mid range/3 pt game, he can be a serviceable 3. If not, then there is always Europe. Don't sleep on him though, smart players are hard to find, and with his aggressiveness and skills across the board, the dude has a chance.