NBA Draft

Draymond picks ‘most ridiculous' player drafted before him

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Draymond Green has had plenty of success since being selected by the Warriors in the second round of the 2012 NBA Draft.

While he's happy with how things played out, Green admitted that he does look back and think about the 34 players who were selected before him. In a recent episode of "Podcast P with Paul George," the four-time champion revealed which player picked ahead of him was the most ridiculous.

"This is not to throw salt at anybody," Green opened with. "But Andrew Nicholson was drafted over me at like [No.] 19. ... At the time y'all are comparing us as big men who can play back to the basket, but I'm looking at this dude and number one, he doesn't even look like a basketball player. I always tell people, when it comes to winning, half the battle is looking like a basketball player. When you're on a team and you look at the other side of the floor and if you see guys that don't look like basketball players, you automatically lose respect. And when you lose respect for those guys, you do things to them in the game that you otherwise wouldn't have done if you respected that guy.

"So that's half the battle. ... He's weird body shaped, he walks like this and talks like this, there's no way that this guy is going to be better than me at basketball. I just don't see it. So that was one that really, really, really pissed me off. There are several others that went before me, but that was one where I'm like we're getting compared, I worked out against him a couple of times and I didn't get drafted [before him]."

Nicholson, who was drafted by the Orlando Magic, played five seasons in the NBA before his career went downhill.

In four seasons with Orlando, the 6-foot-9 forward averaged 6.5 points on 47.3 percent shooting, 3.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists in 15.1 minutes. In 2016, he signed a four-year contract with the Washington Wizards but was traded to the Brooklyn Nets the following season and then again to the Portland Trail Blazers five months later.

He was waived by Portland and then took his talents to the Chinese Basketball Association.

In addition to Nicholson, Green revealed one more name from his draft class that still doesn't sit right with him. This one, though, is for far different reasons.

"Another one that really pissed me off, and this one didn't piss me off because I'm a better basketball player than him, because he was f--king nice, Royce White," Green said. "Royce White was super nice, and we did a lot of the same things. He was more athletic than me and Royce had big hands. super talented. But also another comparison.

"So the reason Royce White pissed me off is not because he wasn't a good basketball player -- I actually believe if he didn't go through the stuff that he did, I think he'd still be dominating the NBA today -- but it pissed me off because it's like, alright we're very similar and all our workouts, we worked out against each other. And there was some where I destroyed him, but also remember a couple where he destroyed me. So I'm just like alright, well we're very similar, so if he's the 16th pick and I'm 35? and I know there's teams throughout the rest of these 19 or 18 picks in between see us similar so maybe they'll draft me. We're very similar. If he's 16, I can't be 35."

White was selected by the Houston Rockets at No. 16 overall but played in just three NBA games.

He was open about his history of Generalized Anxiety Disorder, mainly triggered by his fear of flying, and became known for refusing to fly with the team. Things supposedly escalated and he eventually landed in Sacramento after signing a 10-day contract with the Kings.

He played three contests with Sacramento and recorded zero points, zero rebounds, zero assists and zero steals.

Green, selected No. 35 overall, went on to become a four-time champ, four-time All-Star and a Defensive Player of the Year. Plus, he just signed a four-year, $100 million extension with Golden State as he enters Year 12.

It certainly worked out for the Warriors forward, and he's happy to talk about it.

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