Warriors' Green: 'You don't have to be tough to play in this league today'

There's no way to quantify the level of toughness in a player. If it was possible, though, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green would likely score high thanks to his no-nonsense approach and physical brand of basketball.

However, Green doesn't think that hallmark of his game is necessary for a player to compete in the modern NBA, given the way the league's evolved to put more emphasis on offense and less on defense - and how officiating's changed.

"The way you have to defend in the NBA now, the way the game has gone, the style of play, I don't think when you're evaluating a talent - as far as a scout or GM - I don't think toughness should be one of the things you're evaluating, because you don't have to be tough to play in this league today," Green said during a Friday appearance on ESPN's "The Jump."

Paul Pierce was also part of the panel, and is revered for the toughness he demonstrated during his playing days. He agreed with Green's assessment, but provided more nuance.

"Define toughness in a basketball game. Is it getting the tough rebounds? Is it pushing guys around?" asked Pierce. "See, in the old days, toughness was the guys who made the hard fouls. The guys who made the flagrant fouls. And that's what he's pretty much saying. There's none of that anymore, so you don't need it. There's a different type of toughness now."