Former NBA star Gilbert Arenas recently shared his thoughts on whether Draymond Green, a four-time NBA champion, deserved to be selected as an All-Star. Green achieved All-Star status in 2016, 2017, 2018, and most recently in 2022.
Arenas delved into the criteria for becoming an All-Star player, particularly emphasizing the unique calculation for players like Green and Dennis Rodman, known for their defensive prowess.
“What is an All-Star? What do we consider an All-Star player? I know like him, Dennis Rodman it’s that defensive… it’s calculated differently. That is a different calculation when their skill is defense,” he said on Gil’s Arena.
When Green’s statistics from his first All-Star year in 2016 were brought up—averaging 14 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 7.4 assists per game—Arenas acknowledged that these were indeed All-Star-level numbers.
However, Arenas was critical of Green’s performance the following year, where he averaged 10.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 7 assists per game.
In Arenas’ view, these statistics did not qualify Green for an All-Star nod. He straightforwardly stated, “That’s not an All-Star.”
While Green’s defensive excellence earned him the title of Defensive Player of the Year in that same season, Arenas maintained that this award is distinct from being named an All-Star.
