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Draymond Green Addresses Former Players, Vows To Play Better

The Golden State Warriors find themselves 2-1 down in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics following their Game 3 defeat inside TD Garden on Wednesday night. 

Despite having the overwhelming advantage in the Finals experience, the Warriors are now staring at the prospect of going 3-1 down on the biggest stage. 

During times like these, the Dubs have historically leaned on their emotional leader Draymond Green to navigate them through treacherous waters. Unfortunately for them, Green’s play during these NBA Finals has been frankly underwhelming, and his usual reliable stewardship has been absent.

In light of this, many NBA analysts, fans and media personalities have attributed Green’s lack of production and non-existent impact to distractions away from the floor. 

In the last week alone, Green has had verbal and social media spats with Cedric Maxwell, Isiah Thomas, Kendrick Perkins, Jaylen Brown and CJ McCollum. 

Given these exchanges have transcended into a major talking point of this series following his poor play, Green addressed the comments pertaining to retired players and his respect for them postgame:

Q: “Over the last 24 hours, you’ve seen a lot on talk radio, TV, as well as experts, whether they’re former players, commentators and more, talking about you. I want to take a different approach here. I think a lot of the time old hats talk about you young people should do. I know for me, the 90’s, Charles Barkley, Charles Oakley, Anthony Mason were guys that I respect. I see flashes of that in you. Who are the guys in the 90’s that you respected now, that you still respect now?”

Green: “I definitely respect those guys you just named. Dennis Rodman, I had a ton of respect for this game, how he approached things, the force that he brought to the game no matter what. A guy who most people would say was a little off his rocker. Didn’t affect him one bit. If you said Dennis Rodman was off his rocker, he would go further off the rocker.

I respect guys like that.

I think the thing you have to remember is I was born in ’90. As much as I had the opportunity to watch those guys, I was six when the Bulls won the championship in ’96. I was eight when they won their last championship.

A lot of that is going back and, like, just watching it. With the true understanding of what’s going on. I watched it when I was six. I watched it when I was eight. I absolutely loved it and enjoyed it. But I didn’t understand the game within the game when I was six.

A lot of my knowledge of those guys and appreciation comes from going back and watching that stuff, see how guys operated and how they played. I have appreciation.

But I also have an appreciation for guys that still play like the ‘90s and early 2000s, Ben Wallace, who was an extreme enforcer. Ron Artest, Stephen Jackson, guys who were really about all of that.

Where they had more of that spirit, they kind of came up through that era. I watched a lot of those guys. More so than it just being like these guys from the ‘90s that’s just so deep. Man, if it’s anywhere between the ‘90s, I was zero to nine.

My recollection of those guys just isn’t as strong as it is the Ben Wallaces and the Artests and Stephen Jacksons, guys who I really watched and understood when I was a kind of in a space or at that point in my life that I understood the game, thoroughly understood the game of basketball. Like I said, the games that’s going on within the game.”

In light of recent events, Green’s appreciation of former players was refreshing, however it doesn’t change the predicament the Warriors are facing right now. 

The 32-year-old forward registered just 2 points in 34 minutes of play in Game 3, and currently has the same number of fouls as points scored in the series (15). Not only has Green fouled out in 2 of the 3 contests thus far, and failed to contribute offensively, he’s also offered very little resistance in the area he’s most known for – the defensive end.

To his credit, Green acknowledged the need for a better output and didn’t shy away from responsibility. He stressed this postgame looking ahead to a pivotal Game 4:

“Those guys did their part, I didn’t do mine.”

Now, all eyes turn to Game 4 inside TD Garden as the Warriors look to even up the series and regain home court advantage.