NBA Exclusive: Ex-Warriors Center Explains How Draymond Green Could Have Helped ‘Run TMC’

KEY POINTS

A former Golden State Warriors big man praised Draymond Green for his uniqueness on the court
Paul Mokeski said he feels they could have won the NBA title if they had someone like Green on the 1991 Run TMC team
Mokeski said that Green is the most valuable player in the current Warriors team

The current Golden State Warriors squad has all the tools to win it all, according to a former NBA star.

Most would normally focus on the firepower that head coach Steve Kerr has control of and overlook the importance of one player, Draymond Green. However, former Golden State Warrior Paul Mokeski believes the 31-year-old is the most important player in the current Dubs lineup.

“Draymond’s a unicorn because he averages 12 points a game, maybe? But in my opinion, there is nobody on that team that’s more valuable than him. Why? Because he does so [many] other things,” Mokeski said when he appeared on the “Sports For All PH” podcast hosted by Vincent Juico and Brian Yalung.

Mokeski highlighted the knack of the three-time All-Star to do almost everything asked of him once he is on the floor.

“[Green] can rebound, he’s one of the best defenders. He can defend five positions – from center to point guard. He is a great passer… and a big body that can pass. He’s got leadership, toughness. He can drive to the basket and score when he wants to,” the former second-round pick of the Houston Rockets explained.

Mokeski ended his NBA run with the Warriors. The 7-footer was part of the 1990-91 Golden State Warriors quintet bannered by Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin and coached by Don Nelson.

Mokeski is aware of the firepower that the team carried at the time. However, he admitted that their team fell short on the defensive side.

“Our defense wasn’t great. We could outscore anybody. The Run TMC, they would score anywhere from 70 to 90 points in a game. We won a lot of games. But our defense, Chris Mullins played no defense. Tim Hardaway and Mitch Richmond were OK, but our defense wasn’t very good,” Mokeski recalled.

The Warriors at the time advanced to the playoffs and knocked off the San Antonio Spurs. However, in the second round, they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers, a team Mokeski admits was very talented.

However, he believes that if they had a player like Green at the time, they would have progressed and possibly won the NBA title that year.

“Draymond is very, very unique. If we had Draymond on that 1991 Run TMC team, we would have won the championship in my opinion,” Mokeski said.