Breaking news: The Warriors are pretty damn good when Draymond Green plays well. In his career, Green has recorded 31 triple doubles. In those games, the Warriors are 30-1. Is there a direct correlation? I think it’s pretty easy to figure that one out. What’s interesting, however, is that triple-doubles are usually an offense-based stat. He gets a lot of credit for his defense, but he’s phenomenal on the other end as well.

Green has shown to be an integral part of the Warriors in his tenure so far in Golden State. While he certainly thrives playing around Stephen Curry and that has something to do with his success as a player, it’s time that Draymond Green should be acknowledged as one of the game’s best two-way players despite his low scoring numbers.

This season, Draymond is averaging about 8/7/7 on 54/27/60 splits. His shot obviously isn’t too good, but what’s relatively surprising is that first mark on the shooting slash: 54% from the field. When you narrow it down to just 2-pointers, basketball reference tracks him around 60%. That’s the highest of his career. He’s added some nice touch to his floater, which seems to be the main culprit in that jump.

Green averages about 1 offensive rebound per game out of the 5 total per game for his career, and he’s keeping consistent with that this season. His aggressiveness on the boards is important this season, as he’s jumped from about 5 boards per game to 7, while the Warriors are missing their 7-footer in James Wiseman. He’s helped to create a “gang rebound” identity where everyone on the floor is held accountable for crashing the glass.

And of course, Green’s vaunted passing. He’s leading the Warriors in assists this year at 7 per game, overshadowing Curry’s 6 per game. He’s an offensive engine who, while he can be turnover-prone at the wrong times on occasion, usually makes the right reads. A lot of his passes come off the drive, usually after a pick-and-roll, which makes it difficult to make a proper read sometimes, but his passing acumen in those situations is usually pretty on-point.

Add those three facets together, and you’ve got a player capable of a triple-double on almost any given night. He’s recorded plenty of double-doubles that have come maybe two assists or one rebound short - sometimes even a few points short. And the Warriors have enjoyed a lot of success when he does it.

What’s also impressive is how Green gets those triple-doubles. In 2017, he became the only player in NBA history to record one without points - posting just 4 points to go along with 12 boards, 10 assists, and 10 steals against the Memphis Grizzlies in February of the 16-17 season. His value is very apparent on both ends of the court, as his stats show.

Draymond Green rightfully gets credit as one of the best defenders to ever play the game in terms of IQ, versatility, and flat-out instinct. Talk about any part of defense, Draymond probably excels at it. But when he gets the offense going as well, especially alongside Stephen Curry, the Warriors are almost unbeatable.

The only game in the regular season that Green recorded a triple-double in that the Warriors loss was against the Knicks in the 2018-2019 season. The Warriors were on the last leg of what could have been a three-peat, but a slew of unfortunate injuries prevented them from taking down the Raptors in the Finals that summer, and of course the exhaustion had begun to set in after so much success for the team’s core.

Green is an all-timer, and should be a surefire Hall of Famer. He may not have the stats for it, but anybody who sees his impact on the game and on this Warriors team should acknowledge as much. No matter how much his success is affected by playing with Steph, no matter how he’s had an excellent team around him almost his entire career, no matter if he’s played for one of the best franchise cultures in NBA (something he is a big part of establishing). You cannot discredit what Green does because he elevates this squad to unfound heights that few other players can.

And he does it on both ends of the floor.

(Photo credit: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)