Draymond Green Is Straw That Stirs Michigan State Spartans' Drink

Michigan State fell down early at home to a hungry Illinois team on Saturday afternoon, but the Spartans were not going to be bound down forever.

With players like Kalin Lucas and Raymar Morgan, the Spartans battled back and eventually lead to the romping of the Fighting Illini. Although both Lucas and Morgan had good games, one player took control of the situation and was instrumental in the comeback. That, of course, was Draymond Green.

“Day Day,” as his family calls him, has been playing the role of team motivator and team leader all season—impressive for a player who comes off the bench. Not only does Green score points, make passes and get rebounds, but he also does the little things.

He has what sports fans and analysts classify as the “intangibles.” He senses pressure, knows where his teammates are running to on the floor, understands the defensive scheme and how to attack it, not to mention he almost always seems to make the right decision. And although he is only a sophomore, nobody would be able to tell from all the things he does on the hardwood.

Coach Tom Izzo has an affinity towards Green that you don’t see too often in collegiate athletics. He understands Green’s superlative intelligence and he knows there is still plenty of room for improvement. “Day Day” has the potential to be an all-time great player at Michigan State, especially if he stays in school for four years.

Although Green is not the biggest guy on the court or the most skilled, he makes up for such “inefficiencies” by using his knowledge of the game to shred the opposition. He is a coach’s dream and an opponent’s nightmare. He could end his career as one of Izzo’s most beloved Spartans, something which should be appreciated considering other players Izzo has become close with in his tenure in East Lansing.

If Lucas takes on the same persona in the back court that Green possesses in the front court, the Spartans could be primed for another Big Ten championship and, who knows, maybe even another run to the Final Four.