He's not a top level player at all, but he knows to defer to others instead of trying to play to his weaknesses. He is also a high energy player. In terms of skills, he's a decent shooter, but he's not even that good when it comes to ball handling, though he is a pretty exceptional passer for a power forward. His strengths are in the right places for that team, but as a player he's only slightly above average and not particularly remarkable.
I think being no 1 option is overrated, there are so many amazing scorers in the league who can be the no 1 scorer from Westbrick to Harden to Irving to De Rozan to Paul George etc.Oth it is really rare to find superstar "roleplayers" in this league like Green. What I mean is glue guys who don't play like crap against other superstars, for example look at KLove, LMA, Green and Anderson these are all stretch 4s but Green is the only one who won't wilt against Lebron and the best big men in the league. Green is Mr. Consistent, all the stuff he brings to the table like leadership, defense, passing and reb are stuff that aren't dependent on his shooting condition or whether GSW are home and away. This is good for winning games because coaches know exactly what they are gonna get out of him when he is the court. Green is top 5 for me easily. The best players who make you win games aren't necessarily the one with the most stats, look at Tim Duncan.
Green is a great player. It's always going to be tough to properly rank players who's greatness doesn't come from scoring, because scoring is obvious and easily measured, while things like defense, decision-making and passing (if it doesn't lead directly to the basket) aren't. He's probably a top-ten player if he shoots the three the way he did in 2015-16 and more of a top-15 or top-20 guy if he doesn't.
Once the franchise/once a decade guys are out like Lebron, Harden, Durant, Davis etc. Green should be next, certainly over other guys like LMA, Thomas, Derozan etc. Some people might not think so but there are more than 30 max players in the NBA, Green is the only complementary superstar role player in the league, GSW is so deadly precisely because he fills so many holes with his passing, 3 pt shooting and intangibles. If they had Steven Adams instead of Green all this time its possible GSW might not even have 1 ring because Adams wouldn't be able to handle playoff Lebron.
Bill Walton is that you? Green is really, really good, but damn, "ELITE perimeter shooting"? "one of the most unique and ATHLETHICALLY GIFTED players ever"? He was the 10th in 3 pt% on his team last regular season. He makes enough 3s to keep defense honest, but he's far from "ELITE".
An argument can be made for anywhere from top 15-25. Anyone who ranks him too far beyond that range isn't taking this seriously.
