Zach LaVine Says Draymond Green 'Makes Everything Run' for Warriors over Steph Curry

Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine credited Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green for being the NBA's ultimate "glue guy."

LaVine and Green struck up a friendship while playing for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics over the summer, and it allowed the Bulls star to see all of the little things the three-time NBA champion does to help teams win.

"You can really see why the Warriors are so good. He's the glue guy," LaVine told Marcus Thompson II and Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic. "He's the one who makes everything run. At least that's my opinion. He looks out for everybody else before himself."

Although Stephen Curry is typically viewed as the engine that makes the Warriors run, Green's wide-ranging impact at both ends of the floor is equally important to the team's success.

LaVine witnessed a similar dynamic at the Olympics as Kevin Durant, a former teammate of Curry and Green in Golden State, was the Americans' go-to player, but it was Green who made sure everybody was moving in the right direction.

LaVine told The Athletic: 

"He was the best teammate you could have for a guy in our situation. He was the leader of the team. Obviously, we know KD was the best player. But without Dray, we wouldn't have won. He's the one who had everything [together] in every practice, watching film with the guys, making adjustments, giving guys confidence to come and play their game and just keeping everybody engaged."

Green is averaging 7.9 points, 8.3 rebounds, 7.2 assists and 1.3 steals while shooting 52.1 percent from the field during the Warriors' 11-1 start to the 2021-22 season.

While he's not going to contend for any NBA scoring titles, he does pretty much everything else on a basketball court. His impact on defense is especially important for the Warriors and could put him in contention to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award for a second time.

Green, 31, told The Athletic he's urged LaVine, 26, to keep chasing greatness, which goes beyond how many points show up in the box score each night:

"Greatness doesn't just happen on the floor. Greatness is in how you carry yourself. Greatness is how you interview. Greatness is how people deal with you. It's not just you can score 30 points on the basketball court. Greatness is how everybody else responds to your greatness, and if you don't require people to respond to your greatness, they won't."

Green and the Warriors scored a 119-93 victory over LaVine and the Bulls on Friday night. The teams don't face off again until mid-January.