No offense to Keller, but it turns out that body-slam was a little payback for Green, who often found himself as the one getting tossed around by older players on the hardwood as a youngster.

“When I was little I always played with the older kids,” said Green, who smiled and let out a chuckle when the play was brought up. “The grown men, they used to toss me around and I’d be out there trying to fight them. I figured if I played against them, once I played against kids my own age it’ll be easy and I just kept gaining toughness from that.”

Green’s experience of playing in leagues with children two-to-three years older than him as a youngster at the Civitan Recreation Center in his hometown of Saginaw taught the now-6-foot-6, 235 pounder a valuable lesson: If he wanted to hang with the big boys, he had to play tough and act even tougher.

Now in his first season with the Spartans, Green’s toughness and competitiveness have revealed glimpses of potential from the young post player. Although he is only averaging 8.1 minutes a game in a crowded, experienced front court (the eligibility for seniors Goran Suton, Marquise Gray and Idong Ibok run out at the end of the season), Green’s 2.4 rebounds a game show that he is an impressive candidate to see significant playing time next season, if not a starting role.

A will to win

There is a lot to like about Green. For an 18-year-old kid, both MSU head coach Tom Izzo and Suton said his basketball IQ is off the charts. He’s a proven winner, leading Saginaw High to back-to-back Class A State Championships as a junior and senior. The form on his jump shot is textbook, which, considering he spent most of his time in a high school uniform in the paint, is a huge compliment for a big man. He has long arms, soft hands and the strength of a grown man, as showcased against Illinois.

And of course, there’s his toughness, an attribute that can never be underestimated while playing under a coach such as Izzo.

Earlier this season, an NBA scout brought up an interesting question to Izzo: Why do teams recruit? Usually when programs go after players, they target great shooters or tenacious rebounders. Or quick, high-flying athletes and 7-footers who can swat shots.

“But, you never really recruit toughness,” Izzo said, relaying the scout’s message. “You don’t go out and say, ‘Give me a tough guy,’ and yet it’s probably one of the hardest things to teach somebody. You’d rather teach them how to shoot a jump shot than you would how to be tough and I thought that was an incredible line and Draymond brings that.”

Early on in his youth basketball career, Green’s mother, Mary Babers, said her son’s toughness and on the court demeanor was often mistaken for anger. The truth was, he simply wanted to win more than anything.

“He was one of those kids that he just didn’t quit,” Babers said. “Even when he was out there on the court he had an attitude about him where he wasn’t going to lose. A lot of people took it as he was this angry little kid, but he was just competitive and he likes to win.”

Earning his keep

The proof of Green’s competitive nature and will to win has especially shown through during the past year, when he lost about 30 pounds before the start of the season. Following his junior year of high school, an injured ankle kept Green off his feet for about four or five months, leading to the weight gain. Once he was able to get back on the hardwood and exercise, Green — with help of a meal plan of turkey, wheat bread and sugar-free jelly (“He loves jelly,” said Babers) from his mom and high school coach Lou Dawkins — quickly got into the best shape of his life. The work he put in beforehand, coupled with the summer conditioning program in East Lansing, made Izzo change Green’s status from a likely redshirt season to a freshman with the chance to earn his keep.

“I think he earned it when he lost the weight, I think he earned it as he got into better shape and I think he earned it because he’s probably one of our toughest, most aggressive inside players,” Izzo said of decision not to redshirt Green. “The question marks are, is he going to be in good enough condition to play that many minutes?

“But Draymond Green (as a whole),” Izzo trailed off. “There’s no question marks on that.”

Izzo has already publicly called Green one of MSU’s toughest current players, ranking him alongside senior guard and captain Travis Walton for that honor. Green also has brought the lost art of the charge to MSU, which his grandfather, Ben Babers Jr. — who passed away on Nov. 20 and who Green commemorates with “R.I.P. Granddad Luv u” written on his shoes in black permanent marker — initially instilled in him. His favorite Bible verse — Isaiah 54:17, which reads “No weapon that is formed against you will prosper,” — is placed inside his shoe on a piece of scrap paper every game.

Green said the key to staying true to that verse and making sure no players get the best of him is to not settle on his past championships or the current praise Izzo sends his way. No matter what Izzo — and, more than likely, Keller — thinks of Green, the freshman said he needs to continue to stand his ground.

And maybe even toss people away from it.

“It’s a big compliment but you can’t let it get to your head,” said Green of Izzo’s feelings of his toughness. “… Everywhere I’ve been, my whole life I’ve had to be tough. I still don’t think I’m tough enough, and I need to keep getting tougher.”