Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green is the player on the team who wears many hats. He's the team's defensive anchor, leader, and what may be most important, he's the team's best facilitator. Green is not only the best passer on the Warriors, but he might be the best passing power forward of all time.
Last season Draymond Green averaged the most assists per game by a power forward in a season. He dished out 8.9 assists per game which ended up good for fourth in the NBA. He and Nikola Jokic were the only non-guard players in the top 10 last year.
In NBA history, there have only been three seasons in which a forward or center averaged 8.9+ assists per game.
Last season was one of 'em for Dray 😎 pic.twitter.com/5ELdlFBE2D
— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) September 5, 2021
In his best passing season ever, Green set a career-high for assists in a single game twice with 19 assists. New York Knicks power forward Julius Randle had the second biggest performance with 17 assists. Green has recorded seven of the top ten passing performances by a power forward in NBA history as well.
The accolades don't end there. Green's passing dominance amongst others in his position continues. He also is number one in assists per game for a career with 5.3 assists. The player closest to him is Sacramento Kings legend Chris Webber at 4.4 assists.
Blake Griffin, Kevin Garnett, and Charles Barkley complete the top five all-time list. They all were known as gifted passers, but none of the above compare to Green when it comes to facilitating.
Some may say it's the number of opportunities Draymond Green gets in the Warriors offense. Others may credit the iconic shooting duo of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson for his success. However you swing it, Green gets the job done.
There is only one meaningful assist record Green doesn't hold. It's the most assists all time by a power forward mark. Karl Malone currently owns the record as he had 5,248 assists during his 19-year career.
Green is 1,835 assists behind Malone with 3,413. If Green averaged 6.1 assists per game over the next 300 games, he could catch Malone. That's playing 75 games per season for the next four years.
Kevin Garnett is second on the all-time list with 4,149. Green is only 736 assists away from him, making him more likely to catch than Malone.
Finishing at the top of every assist category gives Green a great argument if he ever claimed to be the best passing power forward. The only time it turns into a debate is if you add Boston Celtics legend Larry Bird into the equation.
Adding Bird to the list of power forwards might change the verdict for some. He averaged 6.3 assists for his career and his highest average for a season was 7.6 assists. If you consider Bird a power forward, then maybe Green drops to second best.
Since most see Bird as a small forward, Green takes the crown. Pound-for-pound, Draymond Green is the best passing power forward of all time.
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