So much for Draymond Green's lack of size dooming him as the Golden State Warriors' full-time starting center. If Joel Embiid can't exploit Dubs up front, it's safe to say their new starting lineup will be just fine in that regard as the season continues.

Opening at small-ball five next to Jonathan Kuminga and Andrew Wiggins for the second straight game, Green played a major part in Golden State's 119-107 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers at Chase Center. He finished with nine points, six rebounds, six assists and two blocks, spearheading the Warriors' physical, active effort on both sides of the ball.

Large as his presence loomed offensively while pushing the pace in transition, freeing Stephen Curry with screens and dribble hand-offs and finding Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga for a handful of easy backdoor finishes, Green's biggest impact came on the other end. He shook off early foul trouble to tangle with Embiid on a possession-by-possession basis, refusing to give an inch to the reigning MVP no matter where they were on the floor.

Playing without Tyrese Maxey and De'Anthony Melton while on a balky left knee clearly not 100 percent certainly contributed to Embiid's season-worst struggles against the Warriors. But even under those extremely unenviable circumstances, 14 points on 18 shots with eight turnovers are truly jarring numbers for a singular force like Embiid—and a testament to a rock-solid, team-wide defensive approach led by Green.

“Guys like that, you just wanna try to make it tough on them. Like I said, you’re never gonna lock a Joel Embiid down. That’s just not what’s gonna happen. He’s gonna miss shots or he’s gonna make ‘em,” Green said after the game. “As a defender, it’s your responsibility to try to make those shots as tough as you can. We was able to get some good contests tonight and he missed some of the ones he usually makes, but you can play that dame defense and guy can go out there and get 70 like he did a few nights ago.”

How Draymond Green, Warriors slowed down Joel Embiid 

Warriors, Joel Embiid, Draymond Green

You heard it directly from Green: Embiid definitely missed many of the shots he typically makes against Golden State. The Sixers superstar is hitting a ridiculous 49.6% of his attempts from mid-range this season, a better mark than Kevin Durant's.

“Making it tough” on singular shot-makers like Embiid usually doesn't work. But it did on Tuesday, and Green's ability to play traditional drop coverage—or in this specific case, ‘Ice'— in ball-screen actions while still managing a disruptive contest on Embiid's signature middie from the nail is among many reasons why.

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Not many centers, or even defenders in general, cover ground like Green. Switching pick-and-rolls across five positions helped him become a star almost a decade ago, but few play player in league history manage to play two better in ball-screen scenarios than Green. He was in Embiid's air space early and often at Chase Center, doing all he could to make an obviously hobbled player even more uncomfortable.

Could Green get away with pressuring Embiid 20-plus feet from the rim if the latter were fully healthy? Maybe not every trip down the floor. Green's unique combination of quickness, girth and length would certainly bother an even fully healthy Embiid at times, though, let alone a hulking seven-footer lacking any noticeable degree of burst or explosiveness.

Embiid never had a chance here.

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Green didn't get the Embiid assignment all by himself. The Warriors doubled him on the block, switched some ball screens and brought an extra defender toward Embiid when he began isolating at the nail—at least when Green wasn't on the floor or had already shifted off him. The entire team deserves plaudits for forcing Embiid into the worst performance of his historic season, as does Steve Kerr and Golden State's coaching staff.

But the Dubs' dogged, tireless effort on Embiid began with Green for most of the night, and he ended plenty of textbook defensive possessions almost by himself, too.

“You try to make the offense play on your terms, try to not to let them play on their terms,” he said after the game. “If you can get them on your terms more often than not, usually you’re successful.”