1. Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors
Season stats: 7.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 7.3 apg, 1.6 spg, 0.9 bpg
While Marcus Smart certainly made a case for the number one spot, Draymond holds on to this title for now. Despite struggling mightily with his shot for much of the season, Green still does so many other things to help you win that it almost doesn’t matter. And now – with DeMarcus having returned – the Golden State Warriors have so many other threats that he barely needs to shoot at all.
So with the negatives out the way, let’s look at some of the positives…
He’s still in the conversation for best defender in the league, thanks mainly to his versatility and being able to guard all five positions. Then, on offence, what he may lack in the shooting department, he more than makes up for with his playmaking as he actually leads Golden State in assists with 7.3 per night! And like everyone says already, Draymond is the heart and soul of the team and acts as an emotional leader of sorts.
His early season scuffle with KD may have called into question if his antics and the inevitable drama that comes with them are worth putting up with for the sake of the team and while I can’t speak for what will happen in the summer to come, I think we can assume that they’ll find a way to bury the beef and focus on claiming a three-peat!