There’s no question that Steph Curry has revolutionized the NBA during his 11 seasons in the NBA.
But as CBS Sports writer Sam Quinn recently posed, teammate Draymond Green has been just as impactful on the game of basketball.
"Green defends all five positions so well that Golden State could functionally switch any screen,” Quinn writes. “Because he would never surrender a bad matchup. As a result, Golden State rarely has to resort to the more aggressive tactics opponents try against it. There's no need to allow a 4-on-3 when Draymond can handle any assignment one-on-one. Now teams league-wide expect their big men to do the same. Imitations pop up annually. Green made the rise of players like P.J. Tucker and Bam Adebayo possible.”
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
Quinn argues that Green’s versatility became a catalyst for the league’s evolution toward smaller lineups. As we’ve seen in recent years, NBA teams have begun shifting out the taller, 7-footers with slightly smaller players who bring a better athleticism and ability to put the ball on the floor to the table.
“Most of the stylistic changes the league has undergone in the past half-decade can be traced back directly to Green's ascent in 2015,” Quinn added. “That's a claim Curry can't even fully make. Though he is unquestionably the NBA's greatest 3-point shooter, the analytics revolution started pushing teams behind the arc well before he grew into a legend. The league's total average 3-point attempts per game rose in each of the three seasons before Curry won his first MVP, and though that growth wasn't always linear, it was happening in some fashion for decades before that. Curry was the logical endpoint of a trend that began without him. Green was the instigator of a trend that has grown well beyond him.”
[RUNNIN' PLAYS PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode]
Draymond’s adaptability certainly has paid off for the Warriors, as Green helped bring three NBA championships to the Bay Area and winning the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2017.
Golden State Warriors
Find the latest Golden State Warriors news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
But Curry’s two MVP trophies and numerous copycats coming up through the American basketball ranks are a testament to the unparalleled impact his career has had on the NBA.
[RELATED: Warriors' Klay Thompson to release documentary on ACL injury recovery]
Draymond never will be forgotten by Warriors fans, but Steph’s impact goes way beyond the confines of Northern California.
Golden State is lucky to have landed both of these dynamic talents.