Draymond Green deserves far more credit for bringing home gold in Tokyo

A second Olympic gold medal guarantees Springfield enshrinement for Draymond Green.

Though rarely the star of any team he plays on, Golden State Warriors big man Draymond Green deserves a ton of credit for helping Team USA win its fourth straight Olympic gold medal.

Green may be a three-time All-Star and a three-time NBA champion during his prolific run in Golden State, but it will always be the little things that sets Green apart. For a team that had lost exhibition games in embarrassing fashion, you need to have a savvy veteran who has played championship basketball to help a disjointed team stay the course. Green absolutely thrives at it.

With a second Olympic gold medal, Green is now without question heading into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame one day.

Draymond Green deserves a ton of credit for helping Team USA win gold

While his former Golden State teammate Kevin Durant was the best player on this particular Olympic team, Green was necessary to help a team full of first-time Olympic participants know what it took to come out on top. The last thing Team USA needs to be reminded of the colossal disaster that happened in Athens 17 years ago. That Olympic frustration never does go away.

For a team that faced a ton of pressure to keep the Olympic streak alive, Green was able to ignite this group with the crashing sense of urgency to come out on top, as well as serve as an on-court coach at times. It is his on-court demeanor and his locker room presence that has helped him become a multi-time champion. Who knows what happens to this team without Draymond Green.

There is a reason why team success always seems to follow Green, college, pro and international.