Okay, so I wanted to take a deep dive into Draymond Green’s rookie year. I’ve always been fascinated by how players develop, and Green is such a unique case.
First, I pulled up his Basketball-Reference page. You know, just to get the basic stats and background. I saw that he was drafted 35th overall in 2012 – a second-rounder! Always a good starting point to remind myself of the context.
The Initial Dig
- Checked the draft class: I wanted to see who went before and after him. Sometimes that helps understand the expectations (or lack thereof) at the time.
- Scanned the season stats: Minutes per game, points, rebounds, assists… the usual stuff. Nothing immediately jumped out as insane, but I wanted the baseline.
- Looked for any game logs from that first season: I was hoping to find a couple of standout performances, maybe a glimpse of the future Draymond.
Then I moved over to YouTube. I figured there had to be some old highlights or interviews from back then. I typed in “Draymond Green rookie highlights” and started scrolling.
Diving into video
- Watched a few highlight reels: Mostly short clips, but I was trying to get a feel for his playing style back then. Was he already a defensive force? Was the passing there?
- I even stumbled upon a couple of post-game interviews: It’s always interesting to hear what young players are thinking and how they’re talking about their game.
- I also found some old scouting reports from DraftExpress, trying to find how the experts thinking about this man.
After that, it was time for some deeper reading. I started searching for articles and blog posts written during his rookie season. Not retrospectives, but real-time reactions.
Reading the Reactions
- Used Google, but I focused on the “News” tab and set a custom date range for the 2012-2013 season. That’s key to getting the right stuff.
- Found a few articles on SB Nation and other sports blogs: These were great for getting the fan perspective. What were people saying in the comments sections?
- Looked for any mentions of him in broader NBA articles: Was he getting any buzz at all, or was he completely under the radar?
I spent a good few hours on this, just piecing together the picture. I took notes, saved some links, and started to form my own opinion about Draymond’s first year. It wasn’t about finding some shocking revelation, but more about understanding the starting point of his incredible journey.
