Warriors’ Draymond Green Praises Marcus Smart’s Growth As Leader

Draymond Green and Marcus Smart have a lot in common — not just on the court, but also off the court as leaders of their respective teams.

Green is the vocal leader of the Golden State Warriors, and the 10-year veteran commented on Smart’s leadership role with the Boston Celtics.

“I think he really thinks the game,” Green told reporters Wednesday. “You can see it, just the way he plays, the way he’s teaching guys, the way he’s commanding attention in huddles and going through the X’s and O’s. You see it all. I think he does a great job at that.

“Marcus Smart — I’ve been speaking on this a lot — I think people tend to forget, Marcus Smart’s number one attribute or positive on him coming out of the draft was his leadership, and that he’s a winner and a true point guard. And the qualities that he has, especially on that side of the ball, are those of a leader. When you see him with the X’s and the O’s and teaching, (those qualities) are those of a point guard.

“I think he’s continued to grow into his leadership. I think there were times earlier in his career where most people wouldn’t know how to handle it. Then you end up getting a bad rap, and it’s like, ‘This guy’s doing too much of this,’ or ‘He’s doing too much of that.’ He’s continued to grow into the leader he’s become, and it’s been really good to watch.”

This isn’t the first time Green has shared praise for someone on the Celtics. The Warriors forward understands what he has to look out for before Game 1 of the NBA Finals, and the Celtics understand Green will bring it defensively and help Golden State’s younger players who don’t have experience in an NBA Finals environment.

The NBA Finals tip off Thursday at 9 p.m. ET at Chase Center.