Draymond Green is one of the best defensive players to ever grace the hardwood. An eight-time All-Defense selection and a Defensive Player of the Year Award to his name, Green has been an unstoppable force defensively for over a decade.
Green has also frequently saved the best for the playoffs, and was a key contributor to the Golden State Warriors' dynasty. Green's Warriors were eliminated in this year's NBA playoffs, and in his newly-minted offseason, Green has served as an analyst for TNT.
In covering the Western Conference Finals, Green talked about his troubles guarding Julius Randle, but he also named a specific Indiana Pacer as someone who "destroyed" him.
"I lost my matchup to Julius Randle. The only other time I really felt like I lost my matchup in a series was against Pascal Siakam…He destroyed me.” Said Green.
Matched up against Green in the second round this season, Randle averaged 25.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game, shooting 53.3 percent from the field.
Siakam and Green have only faced off in one playoff series: The 2019 NBA Finals, when Siakam played for the championship-winning Toronto Raptors.
In the regular season that year, Siakam was named Most Improved Player, averaging 16.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game.
In that year's NBA Finals, Siakam's production kicked up another gear in his matchup with Green. Siakam averaged 19.8 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game, shooting 50.5 percent from the floor in the biggest series of his life.
Siakam opened that series with one of his best playoff performances, scoring 32 points with eight rebounds, five assists, a steal, and two blocks while converting 14 of his 17 field goals.
Siakam also had a standout game in the closeout game of the series, scoring 26 points while grabbing ten rebounds, shooting 58.8 percent from the floor and knocking down three of his six three-pointers.
Green's comments came on the same night that Siakam scored a playoff career high, exploding for 39 points on 15-of-23 shooting against the New York Knicks in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Leading up to Game 2, Siakam has averaged 20.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game in 28 playoff games as a Pacer.