Rockets' Amen Thompson Gives Draymond Green His Flowers

Draymond Green and the Houston Rockets have a rivalry. It's been proven this offseason.

Well, actually before that.

I'm sure I know what you're thinking. The Rockets have a rivalry with the Golden State Warriors, not just one player. Especially since they've eliminated the Rockets from the playoffs in five of Houston's last seven postseason appearances. 

Green admitted to punching James Harden in the wrist. He poked Harden's eye, inadvertently.

Green has more recently developed a well-chronicled feud with Rockets center Alperen Sengun, after the All-Star center spoke out about the Warriors' fouling tendencies in the two teams' postseason matchup.

Green has even gotten into a back and forth with Teroya Eason, the mother of Rockets forward Tari Eason, as the two have traded barbs on social media this summer.

But for all of Green’s extracurricular "stuff", he's stellar on the defensive end of the floor. He even thinks he's the best defender ever, which is a stretch, but he's unequivocally one of the best defenders of his era. 

Amen Thompson, one of the league's best current defenders, gave Green his flowers, lauding his defensive skills on The Young Man and the Three podcast.

Thompson first noted Green’s IQ.

"I feel like what makes the best defenders good is their IQ. I'll give Draymond some credit. We play Draymond, and you know, he's not super athletic. Obviously, he got long arms but he's not gonna wow you athletically. But he's talking all the time.

He'll put himself in that position knowing you're gonna do something and then bounce back to that position and get a steal. I feel like the best defenders, they kinda play offense on defense, if you know what I mean."

Green and Thompson were both First-Team All-Defense selections in 2024-25, although both players are very different types of defenders.

Green oftentimes resorts to physical tactics, in an attempt to win the mental, psychological battle. However, he doesn't have elite athleticism. Certainly not like that of Thompson.

But he's a versatile defender who has been effective against bigs, which the aforementioned Sengun can attest to after battling it out in the opening round.