Draymond Green says Bronny James will succeed in the NBA because of his work ethic, improving athleticism, and defensive potential as a 3-and-D player. Green also breaks down how his high basketball IQ creates spacing for Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, and why chase-down blocks matter defensively.
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Welcome to the brand new Draymond Green Show YouTube channel. Hit subscribe so you don't miss out on any of our content. We gonna talk about some mailbag questions. Jackson, you got a few for me before we go? Yes. Let's start with from @TJX5 in the spirit of talking about LeBron James. Can Bronny be a successful player in the NBA? He, he asked about him being a star, but let's start with being successful in the NBA? Bronny 100% will be a successful player in the NBA. Number one, he knows how to work. And if you don't think he know how to work, go look at Bronny from his freshman year to sophomore, sophomore, junior, junior to senior. There you will see a kid that knows how to work because you can see the improvement in his game. You can see the improvement in his body. You can see the improvement in his athleticism. At worst, Bronny is an NBA-level defender that can knock a shot down. So at worst, he's a 3-and-D guy. Great, we got those all over the NBA. Can pressure the ball, can come in, at worst be a backup point guard that can pick up full court, that can put pressure on another team's lead guard, whether that's their backup, whether that's their starting guard. He can come in and change the tempo on the defensive end. So at worst, he's a 3-and-D guy. 3 and D guys are highly valued in this league. 3 guys are higher than value that can't play no defense. So 3 and defense guys are definitely valued and Bronny got a really good shot. So didn't shoot the ball all that great this year, but his mechanics are great. He's always shot the ball great. Bunch of different factors into why he didn't shoot the ball well this year. I'm not gonna overreact to that. Because I know he can shoot the ball and he can defend. So yes, I think Bronny will be a successful player in this NBA draft. Also think it's a smart, I mean in the NBA. Also think it's a smart move for him to go in this NBA draft because this NBA draft is basura. This NBA draft will go down probably as one of the worst in history from a top talent standpoint. Now I think when you get in this draft, you will find some guys from the 20s and 40s. Like I think that's actually where the strength of the draft is. When you start getting in like the top 10, top 15, it's not your typical top 10 and top 15. There's not even a consensus number 1 pick. Last time there wasn't a consensus number 1 pick, we ended up with Anthony Bennett. That didn't go so well. So don't think this is a great draft. Which, if I'm Bronny, I'm also taking that into account. Like, this is not a great draft. I can even move up even higher because of the lack of talent. And then my name, who I am, what I bring, what I can grow into. So I think it's a great decision and I definitely think Bronny will be a successful NBA player. Always fun talking about the Mind the Game episodes. Bron was recently talking about One of my superpowers is my IQ.
But it's your IQ that creates the space. Draymond's biggest asset offensively is being able to know that guys are gonna sag off him 'cause they daring him to shoot. And Draymond's smart enough to say, "You idiots, I'm not gonna shoot the ball. Y'all playing so far off me. So when I catch it in space, I'm gonna find one of my deadly two guys, Klay or Steph." and I'm gonna DHO to those guys and get a clean hit. And because you're so far off me, you're not gonna be able to contest.
That allows me to play in space and make defenders pay for things that they do. And regardless of being a knockdown elite shooter, which, you know, obviously Steve Kerr helped me out a lot with that and just giving me different reads and things that I can take advantage of. But I think that's an important thing. And obviously, you know, playing with Steph and Klay allows you to do some things to take advantage of that as well. They get shots off so quick. So if somebody go over help, all you need is a split second to kind of get a piece of their man and get them a good look. And so that all plays into it. But nonetheless, it was a very interesting thing to me. I had to learn because like I told y'all before, I had been a scorer my whole life. Like I was never— Yeah. A defensive guy. I've always been a really good passer, but I used to score the basketball. And so adjusting to that over the course of my career was an interesting thing, but one that I appreciate because I think it separated me from a lot of other people. Bron also talked about guarding Steph and why the Warriors always will have a chance because with that movement, with the force that he creates, People always gonna overreact and you can never really rely on your normal defense that you work on all year long, that you play against, that you get so comfortable with, that you play against most teams. There's always an adjustment when Steph is on the floor, when Klay is on the floor. And so that opens up different things for a lot of people. So that's something that we definitely take advantage of. And then I saw Bron broke down the block, man. Man, y'all take that. I don't wanna talk about that block. But no, needless to say, Bron and the chase-down block, obviously that's a staple of his career. But what's, I think what's even more important is that his teammates can trust that he's gonna, because he goes every time for it. And that consistency allows your teammates to not foul. And so obviously that was one of the biggest plays in history that I don't wanna talk about. Y'all can save it and talk about that somewhere else.
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