Draymond Green might be the most polarizing player in the NBA today despite all of his achievements.
13 seasons and four championships into his professional basketball career, he’s still regularly called both overrated and underrated.
While some think his defense and basketball IQ make him an elite player, others believe his lackluster scoring holds him back.
Kenyon Martin and Kendrick Perkins are the two latest ex-NBA players to weigh in on the Green debate.
Kendrick Perkins and Draymond Green have not often seen eye-to-eye since the former retired from playing and started his media career.
However, the ex-Boston Celtics center recently defended Green after Kenyon Martin shared a controversial take on his standing within the league.
Perkins argued: “Kenyon Martin basically said, ‘there are 200 players better than Draymond Green. The only thing that he’s got over a lot of players is championships and things of that nature.’
“You’re damn right. He’s got four of them things. He’s got four championships. Now, when you talk about the game of basketball and being a better basketball player… I think he brought up Al Jefferson, Elton Brand, and LaMarcus Aldridge.
“If you’re asking me if Draymond Green is a better basketball player than those three guys? Hell yeah, he is. He’s one of the greatest defenders that we’ve ever seen in the history of the game.
“When it comes down to being 6’5″ or 6’6” and being able to play the center position when you’re battling against seven-footers and to anchor the defense of a dynasty for this extended period of time at the highest level.
“We’re sitting up here and saying, ‘Draymond Green might not be the most skilled offensive player.’ Those guys might have been more skilled offensively when it comes to getting a bucket, but that’s all you can really say they were better than Draymond Green at.”
Draymond Green will hope to win a fifth championship with the Golden State Warriors next season and further strengthen his Hall of Fame case.
The Warriors came up short against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the playoffs last season after Stephen Curry suffered an injury.
Golden State have surprisingly not improved the team this offseason, but Green’s comments three weeks ago suggest they already think they have enough.
“The heavy lifting has been done,” he said. “We added Jimmy. I think that was the biggest thing that needed to happen. Now you can tool around that. Now you know how Jimmy looks in the system.
“We know how Jimmy likes to play. You can also tool around that as well. Just locking in from that front, understanding what we got and where we can get from better, and making those pushes.
“Free agency is tough. You try to court people and make the best offer. And you don’t always know what it is. For some guys, that could be the highest dollar amount; for other guys, it could be totally different.
“I think just going into it, it’s all about looking and seeing… I think we’re in a much better position headed into this one.”
