13. Draymond Green, PF, Warriors
It’s difficult to remember the last time an NBA star rode a Dickensian pendulum quite as dramatically as Draymond Green has over the past 12 months. The 26-year-old Green was one of the driving forces behind the most successful regular-season team in history, a hybrid big man whose skillset and ultra-high motor defy comparison. In fact, his overall stat line—14/9/7/1/1—has not been matched in all five categories in NBA history, and the closest all-around comparison is Larry Bird during his 1987 MVP season. But the “best of times” gave way to a staggering crash: multiple postseason incidents, two terrible no-shows in Oklahoma City, a suspension during the Finals, a team-wide collapse to lose the Finals, an arrest, a truly unfortunate Snapchat mishap, and a seat on the bench for most of the Rio Olympics. While the successful recruitment of Kevin Durant obviously prevented his “worst of times” summer from being a total nightmare, Green managed to undo some of the substantial progress made last season. Instead of entering 2016–17 riding high, he faces questions both new and old. Can he keep his cool? Can he compensate defensively for the departures of centers Andrew Bogut and Festus Ezeli? Is he willing to take a step back offensively to accommodate Durant’s arrival? Why did he look so lost and unhelpful in Rio? Green has made it clear that he thrives on doubters. Now he will spend this season making amends and chasing revenge rather than pursuing a three-peat. (Last year: No. 16)
+ League-leading +1,070 raw plus-minus was the highest mark posted in the last 20 years
+ Career-high 598 assists last season led all frontcourt players, including LeBron
– Ranked No. 3 with 13 regular-season technical fouls, first with five in the postseason and tied for first with three postseason flagrant fouls
– After logging the most minutes of any player in the 2016 playoffs, he played just 78 total minutes over eight games in Rio
