Tom Izzo talks about Draymond Green and their relationship

Tom Izzo and Draymond Green have a special relationship and the Hall of Fame coach spoke about it on Friday.

Former Spartan Draymond Green has been a huge figure in the NBA for quite some time. He’s won four championships with the Golden State Warriors and is one of the best Spartans ever, not just in the Tom Izzo era.

However, he’s also in the media for the wrong reasons constantly and has had countless head-scratching moments where people question his sanity. The most recent example of this was a couple of nights ago when he got ejected four minutes into his game.

Izzo joined the Pardon My Take podcast and spoke about his relationship with Draymond and whether he needs to dial it back at all. Some of the things Izzo said definitely surprised me.

Tom Izzo doesn’t think Draymond needs to dial it back very much

Many fans think Draymond takes his antics way too far. I even think he has at times as well. But Izzo is on the other end of the spectrum. Tom said he has called Draymond to confront him about what he’s doing, but those times are few and far between.

Izzo thinks that what Draymond does for Golden State is invaluable and a huge reason for their success. Izzo shared on the show that whenever people are extremely passionate about something they naturally will go over the edge a little bit.

This is true for Izzo as well and why he gets put in a bad light by the media. But this passion and energy Draymond has is just because he cares so much about winning, and that’s why Izzo thinks the Warriors will never trade him.

Draymond is a great winner

There is no denying that Draymond is one of the greatest winners of all time. He won a lot at Michigan State and has been a huge part of Golden State’s dynasty over the past decade. Draymond is rarely leading the Warriors in any major statistical category, and everyone knows the team is led by Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. But Green deserves as much credit for their success as anyone else.

Izzo shared that Draymond is one of the best players in the world at making winning plays.

Anyone in the NBA can make great plays, but not many can make the winning plays. It’s plays like setting good screens, diving on the floor for a loose ball, and being able to guard every position on the floor that makes Draymond so special. Those winning plays don’t show up on the box score but are the reason Izzo thinks the Warriors won’t trade Draymond.

Izzo shared, “He (Draymond) puts winning above scoring, rebounding, and assists more than anyone else I’ve coached.”

And that’s what makes Draymond so great. Izzo didn’t deny that Green takes things too far sometimes, but there’s a reason he’s still with the Warriors. Because he is as good as it comes at knowing how to win games.