Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green is considered to be one of the toughest players in the league. Even though he is only listed at 6'7 and 230 pounds, Green is known to consistently match up with opposing teams centers. Green was asked if these matchups take a physical toll on him, and he had an interesting response.

Green makes a good point here. The NBA has certainly morphed into a guard-oriented league. It is nearly unrecognizable from when players like Shaq dominated the game. Because of this, even undersized players like Green can match up with centers. Green frequently will guard someone who is three or four inches taller than him. However, since so few centers have the ability to consistently score in the post, Green is able to successfully negate their height with his physicality.

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The Warriors are best when Green is playing the center position. The so-called “Death Lineup” employs Green at the five and Kevin Durant at the four, even though Durant is taller. The evolution into positionless basketball emphasizes a player's ability to switch more than their height. Green is perfect for this type of ball and is just at home bodying a big man on the block as chasing quick-footed guards around the perimeter.

It would be interesting to see a player as dominant on the block as Shaq was in today's NBA. Fortunately for Draymond Green, he doesn't have to worry about that and can focus on guarding today's smaller centers.