Draymond Green has asserted himself as one of the best overall players in the NBA. He just made his first All-Star team, he's been the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up the last two seasons, and he earned a number of MVP votes on a Warriors team that just won a record 73 games.
In the past, Green used the doubters and naysayers to motivate him as a second round pick who's offensive game and size were questioned . With all of his success, it's becoming harder and harder to find critics, but he's still making it happen.
During a recent interview with Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins, Green said that he “reads everything” and sleeps with the TV turned up so that he doesn't miss any sound bites where he's disparaged by the media, competitors around the league, or former players.
From Jenkins:
“I think it’s cool to read that Draymond Green is transcending the NBA,” [Green] says. “I also think it’s cool to read that Draymond Green is terrible.”
“There are still doubters,” he says. “I’ll find them somewhere.”
After falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, Green probably won't have to search all that far to find them. It's the first time all season that the Warriors have lost after holding a double-digit lead at the half, and it's the first series that they've trailed in during these playoffs.
So basically, the perfect situation for Green to thrive in.
“Everything can't be sweet,” Green told Jenkins. “Everything can't be peaches and cream. There are times I feel like I just have to start yelling at people. I don't even know about what. It doesn't even matter.”
We'll see how he and Warriors respond in Game 2 on Wednesday night.
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