Draymond Green has been very open about how impressed he is with rookie James Wiseman, saying that the center is a top-flight talent with unbelievable potential.
But Green still yells at Wiseman a fair amount — most notably when he scolded Wiseman loudly during the Warriors’ loss to the Knicks on Thursday, and the referee thought the profanity was directed at the officials and gave Green a technical foul, which triggered an ejection.
But according to The Undefeated’s Marc Spears, the public profanity is coming from a good place. And Spears made a very dated reference, which I personally love, to the movie “The Karate Kid” to describe the situation. The 1984 film starred Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi, the tough-love karate master to the main character, the young and talented Daniel LaRusso, played by Ralph Macchio.
Spears said that Wiseman actually likes some standard rookie duties, such as carrying Green’s travel bags. Then he mentioned “The Karate Kid.”
“It’s like he has this Mr. Miyagi, you know this teacher,” Spears said, according to 95.7 The Game. “And while Wiseman is a young guy, he’s isn’t like a lot of people from, I guess, his generation where, ‘man don’t talk to me loud’ you know what I mean? He knows it’s coming from a good place.”
Listen to the rest of the clip below for some more insight from Spears.
And if you’re not familiar with Mr. Miyagi, here’s a clip from the movie. The pupil, Daniel, is confused by his teacher’s tactics and is about to walk out on his sensei. But of course it works out because it’s make believe. Duh. But it’s still fantastic.
The relationship between Green and Wiseman is, unbelievably, even MORE important than the dynamic between Mr. Miyagi and Danial-san.
Wiseman’s talent has the potential to carry the Warriors organization for years to come, long after Green and fellow superstars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson retire as multiple-time NBA champions. Green knows what it takes to win it all, especially on defense, which is where Wiseman must excel. His offense will come more naturally, with his grand potential.
Much of the credit for Green and Wiseman’s relationship goes to Wiseman’s personal demeanor. It’s key that he can let Green’s profanity-laden and tough-love critiques slide off his back as he learns. He’s smart enough to know that once he gets past Green’s rugged teaching methods, there are gems of knowledge to be had.
As long as Green can avoid technical fouls and ejections for yelling critiques at Wiseman, this relationship is all positive. It’s a Mr. Miyagi kind of thing. Maybe it will culminate in story-book ending, just like the movies. The next chapter will be revealed Saturday night, when Warriors take on the Jazz in Utah.
(Photo credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports)
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