Building on a Defensive-Player-of-the-Year-worthy season, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has tapped into the individual intricacies that it takes to guard some of the best players in the league. James Harden for one, a physically intimidating guard at 6-foot-5, with craftiness and unique rhythm to his game, which Green has managed to pick up on through the years.
The All-Star power forward shared some of his secrets guarding one of the most feared off-the-dribble threats this league has seen in recent years.
“No. 1, take his space away. There are certain guys in the league that get their rhythm off their dribble. He's one of those guys,” Green told Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher, a former Warriors sideline reporter. “The more you just let him dribble, dribble, dribble, the more into his rhythm he gets. The more rhythm he gets… look, the chances of you stopping a player like that is already slim.”
“Once you let him dance, dance, dance and get that rhythm, that slim chance is cut in half. At that point it's just a matter of whether he misses the shot or not. So crowd his space, but don't use your hands. That's why I have my hands way out [to my side] because he's tricky.”
“If you put your hand in there just a little bit, James has got you. One, he's mastered getting the foul, and two, he gets the benefit of the doubt, so if it looks like it's a foul, it's going to be a foul. It's just like anything else in this league: When you develop a certain reputation for something, you're going to get the benefit of the doubt, good or bad.”
Harden's propensity to draw fouls is perhaps the most frustrating thing about his game to a defender — but for a DPOY-caliber player like Green, it's about finding the things that can be defended, and living with those he can't control.
That mentality turns the board around and puts the defender at the wheel, making the risk-reward situation a non-factor and honing into the little aspects that can give him an upper hand in every possession.
Players like Harden are bound to have big nights and make shots — lots of them — but the more they miss, the more frustrated they tend to get, making them much less effective once they've lost the mental edge.
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