Draymond Green watches WNBA because he learns more from it than from NBA
Draymond Green's remarkable ascent from second-round draft pick to star is chronicled in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated, with writer Lee Jenkins delving into what makes the man tick.
Green is everything he appears to be — fiery, ultra-competitive, unselfish — and much more. Jenkins paints the picture of a player who has overcome the "tweener" label and relishes the challenge of beating opponents who are bigger, faster and athletically superior.
With that in mind, Green says he prefers watching WNBA games at home.
“In the NBA there’s always a guy who is only around because he can jump,” Green told SI. “He doesn’t have a clue about the fundamentals. I learn more from the WNBA. They know how to dribble, how to pivot, how to use the shot fake.”
Green studies everything: Kentucky tape of the Lakers' Julius Randle, for example, to learn how to stop his stutter-step — “I studied the (expletive) out of that move” — and Lamar Odom highlights, when he was transforming into the adept rebounder, guard-like passer and versatile defender he's become.
And the other thing he keeps on at home? The sports highlight shows. He goes to sleep with them turned up, just so he'll hear anyone talking about him.
“There are still doubters,” he says. “I’ll find them somewhere.”
