Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo will be a winner no matter who emerges from the Warriors-Grizzlies Western Conference semifinals.
While former Spartans Jaren Jackson Jr. and Xavier Tillman play for Memphis, Warriors forward Draymond Green remains a key part to Golden State’s championship hopes in his 10th NBA season. Green and Izzo have kept close over the years, as Izzo discussed with 95.7 The Game’s “Damon & Ratto” Thursday:
Izzo was frank when asked if he thought Green would become this good of an NBA player, as he is a three-time champ, four-time All-Star and 2015-16 Defensive Player of the Year. Coming out of college, Green was viewed as a positionless tweener.
“Hell no!” Izzo said. “I really didn’t.”
Izzo also weighed in on Green flipping off the Memphis crowd while heading to the locker room with a head injury in Game 2.
“I hope he learns how to deal with those distractions,” Izzo said. “I think those distractions do hurt him. He's a very cerebral player but he wears his emotions on his sleeve. … You can't just love him for some of the things he does, you have to look at him and realize that chip on his shoulder sometimes gets him in trouble, but it makes him who he is."
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Green’s energy and fire is unmatched on the Warriors. He’s also evolved into something of a point center over the years, as the team’s top interior defender and playmaker on offense. Izzo said the Warriors deserve a lot of credit for letting Green blossom into the player he is today, alongside Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
“The Warriors are kind of the team of the era,” Izzo said. “It proves the point -- you play together, you stay together, you win together. … The teams that win big have good organizations from top to bottom – the owner, the GM, to the head coach to the key players. No one’s done it better than the Warriors.”
Izzo plans on visiting Chase Center for Game 4 on Monday. Izzo said he’s got to know coach Steve Kerr and Bob Myers over the years and also gave a shoutout to Warriors PR man Raymond Ridder for his hospitality. But Izzo’s main connection is obviously with Draymond, who has come a long way since his days in East Lansing.
"He might not be the greatest player,” Izzo said, “but he might be one of the best winners in the NBA right now. He knows how to win. He makes winning plays."
