Ever since he made it to the NBA, Draymond Green has always been labeled a “tweener.” Many couldn’t really specify what his natural position is, but nevertheless, Dray gets the job done, and that’s what made him an invaluable player for the Golden State Warriors.
At 6’6″ and 230, Green was a bit too heavy and slow for a shooting guard or a small forward. However, he was also undersized for a power forward. Instead of letting these criticisms affect him, Dray let them fuel him to silence naysayers.
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Early on, Green learned to feed off the negativity of being told that he was “too small” to play a big man’s role. He converted it to positive energy, which gave him the confidence to go up against the opposing team’s best players. More often than not, it worked.
“I wouldn’t say that particular word drives me, but the one thing that does drive me is people saying I’m too small,” Green told ESPN in 2015. “So not necessarily saying that I’m outta position, but just when people think or say I’m too small, that really drives me to wanna stop the so-called “superstar” or some other player that is supposed to be too big or too strong for me. That drives me.”
Dray is neither a 3 nor a 4
Green played his first two seasons in the league, juggling the small and power forward positions for the Dubs. In his third season, he consistently played the power forward position. It worked out well for the team, especially when Kevin Durant came in.
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It was also in the power forward position where Day-Day earned All-Star selections and won the Defensive Player of the Year award. Clearly, Green was a power forward, but for the man in question, he was limitless, and nobody could ever tell him otherwise.
“It’s just like everything else in life. Everyone is going to try to put a tag on something,” Dray said. “‘This guy is in this position.’ I’ve never been with that. When I came out in the draft people kept asking me, ‘So are you a small forward or a power forward?’ and I was like, ‘I’m a basketball player.’ Period. Don’t tell me I’m a small forward because you are taking away what I can do as a power forward. Don’t consider me a power forward because you are taking away what I can do as a small forward. I’m just a basketball player and that’s how I’ve always looked at it.”
Dray would play center if he had to
Throughout his career, Green consistently adopted that mindset. He has always believed that there was nothing he couldn’t do on the court, and the position written across his name wouldn’t dictate how he played the game.
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Because of Dray’s style of play, the Dubs became known for their so-called position-less basketball. To this day, not a single thing has changed in the team’s approach. In fact, they were open to the idea of playing Green as a center if needed, which is totally fine with the veteran All-Star.
“Playing the five isn’t always about size,” Day-Day said ahead of the current season. “It’s about the size of the heart. And I think my heart is as big, if not bigger, than anyone’s in this league. I always trust in that.”
Draymond’s mentality and style of play are unconventional but highly effective. All told, it’s no wonder that he and the Warriors don’t feel the need to make any changes. For them, why fix something when it’s not broken?
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Nov 2, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.