The 2025–26 season is barely a month old, and Draymond Green has already delivered a full highlight reel of chaos: craning his neck up at Victor Wembanyama for a verbal jab, jawing with a Pelicans fan, and hopping around like a kid on a sugar rush after Santi Aldama bricked a free throw. On-court drama with Draymond is basically part of the NBA schedule at this point. But this year, the noise isn’t staying only on the hardwood. Off the court, he’s locked in a spicy back-and-forth with NBA legend Kenyon Martin, and a few other former stars have jumped in to toss their two cents into the fire.

As a clapback, Kenyon Martin went full-on stats mode, dropping a list of 200 power forwards he thinks outshine Draymond. For the sake of sanity, he trimmed the list down to just 50 power forwards. The list got delightfully messy, featuring names like Popeye Jones, Reggie Evans, Drew Gooden, and Bo Outlaw. The NBA world couldn’t resist chiming in. Stephon Marbury slid under the thread with, “He don’t want this smoke K-Mart,” while Reggie Miller tried to play peacemaker, adding, “”Can’t we all just get along” 🤔😉😳.”

In the video, we catch Martin laying it all out, saying, “I name 200 people better at basketball than Draymond Green. I’m talking about basketball, skill set of basketball. I can name 200 people I think are better at basketball than you. That’s people. I dumbed it down to power forwards. I dumbed it down to just power forwards.” Bold? Absolutely. But what pushed him down this rabbit hole of ranking the game’s power forwards?

Turns out, on his podcast, Green threw a little shade, saying, “You were the No. 1 pick and made one All-Star team. Most would say that’s underachieving…Most would say it’s probably an underachievement, you know, considering that I was the 35th pick and made the All-Star Game four times.” That was the green light Martin needed.

Martin fired back, reminding everyone of his prime days: “Man, Draymond Green called me an underachiever? I came into the league as the number one pick in 2000 and took the Nets to the Finals two years in a row.” From there, he dove into the battles he faced with injuries—including microfracture surgeries, before listing off the forwards.

Going further back, Martin really stirred the pot first, tossing shade on Draymond during the Gil’s Arena podcast, calling him a ‘fake tough guy who picks his spots.’ That jab didn’t sit well with Green, who later told listeners on his show that the constant digs were both “disappointing” and “confusing,” especially since they both grew up in Saginaw, Michigan. Fun fact: Green even cheered for Martin as a kid just because of their shared hometown.

“I don’t really get where all these shots are coming from,” Green admitted, clearly still shaking his head. But true to his fiery personality, he fired back, and now the ball’s in his court. With Martin’s exhaustive list of power forwards out there, all eyes are on Draymond to see which names he’ll challenge and which ones he thinks are way off base.

Draymond’s edge: Dominating the modern four

Setting aside the debate over 200 players for a moment, let’s zero in on Green and Martin, and it’s clear who holds the upper hand. Green has played 14 seasons (2012-13 to 2025-26) with 4 NBA titles, 4 All-Star appearances, 2 All-NBA selections, 9 All-Defensive nods, and even a Defensive Player of the Year award.

Martin had 15 seasons (2000-01 to 2014-15) but no titles, just 1 All-Star appearance, and no All-NBA or All-Defensive honors. In the regular season, Martin edges Green in scoring (12.3 vs. 8.7 points) and blocks (1.1 vs. 1.0), but Green outshines him in rebounds (6.9 vs. 6.8), assists (5.6 vs. 1.9), steals (1.3 vs. 1.2), and total impact across games.

In the playoffs, Green’s versatility and all-around game are even more evident. Over 169 games, he averaged 11.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 6.0 assists, compared to Martin’s 12.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 112 games. Green also has better 3-point shooting (.321 vs. .234) and free throw accuracy (.709 vs. .629), making him a more complete player.

While Martin was solid in scoring and shot-blocking, Green’s combination of defense, playmaking, and winning pedigree makes him the more dominant all-around power forward (stats as per the Land of Basketball).

But comparing himself to other power forwards? Not really on Green’s radar; he’s already made up his mind about the position. He’s seen the “four” evolve over the years and knows it’s a whole new game now. Today’s “four” chases shooters and rebounds in space, not just banging in the paint, like it happened when he used to guard someone like LaMarcus Aldridge, Z-Bo, or Blake Griffin.

About rebounding, it’s no longer just about jostling under the hoop. Green explains how the modern four has to track the ball across the court, fight for position in space, and react quickly to loose balls far from the basket. In his words, “…it’s a totally different thing. I just think the position requires a totally different mindset. It requires a totally different mindset than it did before.”