Magic Johnson is an NBA legend, and definitely knows a lot about basketball. Magic Johnson played his college ball at Michigan State University, as did now NBA champion Draymond Green. In fact, those two are the only former MSU Spartans to win an NBA championship.
On Thursday, Magic Johnson was interviewed on “The Drive With Jack” on WQTX in Lansing, Michigan. In that interview, Johnson revealed his very high opinion on Draymond Green.
From the interview:
“Draymond has proven to everybody he’s one of the top five best all-around players in the NBA right now,” Johnson said Thursday on “The Drive with Jack” on WQTX in Lansing. “You think about LeBron (James) and then there’s a couple other guys, (Russell) Westbrook and on and on, but after that about that fifth guy’s got to be Draymond Green.”
That is incredibly high praise, and in my opinion Johnson may be a bit biased towards his fellow Michigan State Alum. Draymond is a fantastic player, and was crucial to this Golden State championship team, but saying he’s a top 5 player in the league is a bit of a stretch. Off the top of my head I’d take LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook among others(such as Green’s MVP teammate Stephen Curry).
Magic Johnson has always been very high on Green. In 2012, Johnson said that he though Green was the best player in his draft class, over the likes of Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, and Bradley Beal, and plenty of other valuable NBA players.
Johnson still stands by that claim, saying:
“Everybody thought I was just hyping him up because he went to Michigan State, and now he’s proven how valuable he is,” Johnson said.
“The heart and soul of that team is Draymond Green, because he sets the tone physically. If you look at that team, Golden State is really not a physical team, but Draymond brings a physical presence.”
He is right about that. Draymond Green definitely sets the tone physically and defensively. He was the best defensive player in the NBA this year(although he was snubbed for the DPOY award, losing to Kawhi Leonard). However, saying he’s a top-5 player in the league right now is just too much.
Green was huge in the Finals vs. the Cavs. Despite looking unconfident in his shot early in the series, he was able to do what it took to push his team to victory, recording a triple-double in Game 6. Green averaged 13.7 points, 10.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.8 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game in the playoffs. It’s hard to compare him to superstar caliber players such as those mentioned earlier, though.
