Draymond Green is no stranger to finishing games with unorthodox stat lines. In fact, to paraphrase the soon-to-be thirty-year-old Academy Award winning film Forrest Gump, a Draymond Green box score is like a box of chocolates… you never know what you're gonna get.
The Golden State Warriors forward is one of just 15 players in NBA history to finish a game with a 5×5 stat line (at least five points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks in a single game). He notched an 11 rebounds, 10 assists, 10 steals triple double in 2017, the same game in which he finished one point shy of a second career 5×5 game. And in 2016, Draymond scored only 2 points in an otherwise dominant 14 rebounds, 14 assists, 6 steals performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder. But against the New Orleans Pelicans, in the penultimate game of his 12th season in the NBA, Green reached an unusual statistical milestone that nobody else in the long history of the NBA ever has.
“Draymond Green is the first player in NBA history to record a double-double without attempting any shots (FGA/FTA),” per a tweet from StatMamba. The Warriors forward finished with 12 rebounds and 11 assists in the contest.
Now if any player were going to accomplish a statistical feat of this nature, it just had to be Draymond Green. Very few players in league history have had the ability to impact a game in as many different ways as Draymond, and even in the history-making performances like this one, the box score doesn't always accurately capture his impact. But Warriors coach Steve Kerr is more aware than anybody of what Draymond Green brings to the table.
"I don't care if Draymond shoots or doesn't shoot. He does everything else."
Kerr praises Draymond's impact despite not taking a shot in tonight's game pic.twitter.com/FwiiboxRS8
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) April 13, 2024
Steve Kerr lauded Draymond Green's defense and competitiveness in the Warriors' 114-109 loss to the Pelicans. It just so happens that “defense” and “competitiveness” will be two of the words mentioned first whenever it is that Green gets inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. “Passing” will be another. The undersized power forward — and in the past, a small-ball center — has averaged at least 6 assists per game in nine of his twelve NBA seasons. His ability to break down opponents in 4-on-3 half-court situations is one of the biggest reasons why the Warriors evolved into an absolute juggernaut over the course of the 2010's.
We love to celebrate the contributions of The Splash Brothers, and both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will be Hall of Fame bound when their careers are finally wrapped up. But how many wide open looks did Curry and Klay get because they were fortunate enough to play alongside someone with the mind and skillset of Draymond Green? How many back-breaking transition three's began with a defensive effort from Draymond Green on the other end of the floor?
The Warriors have an uphill battle to earn their spot in the NBA Playoffs, but with a veteran group like this one, I wouldn't count the Dubs out just yet.
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