Former Lakers Champ Sends Clear Message on Draymond Green’s Career

Oct 21, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) reacts during the first half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images

There's no question that four-time champion Golden State Warriors power forward/center Draymond Green has been one of the most impactful players of his generation.

The 6-foot-6 Michigan State product, a four-time All-Star and 10-time All-Defensive Teamer during his 14 NBA seasons thus far, was a critical contributor for all of Golden State's titles. He's a surefire, first-ballot Hall of Famer.

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But former 2019-20 Los Angeles Lakers champion starter Danny Green doesn't think Draymond Green would even be a star in another context.

During a recent conversation on his new podcast "No Fouls Given" — co-hosted by Hall of Fame former Boston Celtics small forward Paul Pierce and media personality Wosny "Big Wos" Lambry — Danny Green made a surprise accusation against Draymond Green.

"I think Draymond's a role player, bro," Danny Green asserted. "Yeah but that's the reason I think he was the greatest role player of all time — 'cause he's going to the Hall of Fame."

Devoid of a winning environment, while Danny Green conceded that Draymond Green would likely still be a valuable NBA pro with a long career, Danny Green was unconvinced that Draymond Green would have blossomed into a superstar.

Danny Green also doesn't consider Draymond Green a superstar even now.

"The question: Put him on Charlotte, is he still going to be a superstar?" Danny Green asked. "Is he a Big Three guy on a team like that?"

Lambry felt that he wasn't.

"So he's a role player," Danny Green responded. "Any other team, would he be a star?"

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It's true that Draymond Green's game is fairly unorthodox for a player who's achieved the level of success on the court that he has. Beyond being able to cover almost anyone, the 2017 Defensive Player of the Year was also a great playmaker and rebounder in his prime, but had a limited portfolio as a scorer.

But he was also the vocal leader on a Golden State club that featured several quite superstars in point guard Stephen Curry, shooting guard Klay Thompson, and (for a time) forward Kevin Durant.

Draymond Green's Middling 2025-26 Season Start

Draymond Green's defense hasn't been quite as formidable this season, and his shooting has continued to frustrate.

This year, the 35-year-old appears to be slipping a bit, while also being commissioned to play out of position as the Warriors' starting center, thanks to some bizarre roster-building choices from team president Mike Dunleavy Jr.

In 21 healthy contests for the 13-14 Warriors this season, Green has been averaging 8.3 points on .394/.340/.652 shooting splits, 6.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 0.9 blocks per bout.

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