From fans, to the players, to the media and everyone in between, making comparisons with athletes is inevitable.
Picking a player to compare Draymond Green to, however, isn't easy. The Warriors' power forward is listed at 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds yet he plays center in the team's best lineup, guards all five positions and runs the offense like a pass-first point guard.
Clearly, all those traits sound like Carmelo Anthony.
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Wait, what? Let Warriors forward Andre Iguodala explain.
“When people ask me who is one of the toughest players to defend, and I say Melo, they’re always like ‘Really?’” Iguodala said to The Athletic's Marcus Thompson on Thursday night. “Maaaan, Melo — he was a fast fat dude with hops. And can shoot. When he hit you with that first step, it was so quick, and then he’s strong. People need to stop disrespecting Melo. And Draymond is the Melo of defense.
“That’s a good analogy. I like that.”
While comparing the two seems a bit odd at first glance as they play a completely opposite style, Iguodala accounts for the deception of the two. When Anthony was at his best, he didn't look like the greatest athlete, yet he was one of the most lethal scorers in the game. The same goes for Green on the other side of the ball.
Golden State Warriors
It's about deception. And quickly, their game does the talking.
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Green once again did it all in the Warriors' 114-111 Game 2 win of the Western Conference finals over the Blazers. He scored 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, dished seven assists, and blocked five shots all while dealing with foul trouble.
“He’s smart. He’s stronger than he looks, and his arms are really long,” Iguodala said of Green. All traits have helped the Warriors find themselves two wins away from their fifth straight appearance in the NBA Finals.
