It’s not everyday that Warriors forward Draymond Green calls me an idiot. But it’s okay. I have company.
Golden State’s star forward finally lashed out — quite vociferously — at the many critics of his apparent hesitancy to shoot open field goals. Green’s scoring average dipped to seven points a game during the just-completed regular season, and he attempted just six shots a contest.
I’ve written multiple times about how Green can better help superstar Stephen Curry and the offense function more smoothly — coach Steve Kerr has even said that it’s important for Green to be a threat on offense. But still, while on HBO’s “The Shop,” Green had a message for critics.
“Listening to people and what they say, and the criticism — it actually shows you how [expletive] stupid people are through their criticism,” Green said.
“For instance, people say ‘Draymond, you should shoot!’ But if I can get Steph Curry the ball for a shot, why would I shoot? You’re actually a [expletive] idiot for thinking I should shoot because I can get him the shot. If he’s half open, it’s better than anyone else in the world.”
The Shop/Uninterrupted
For the full effect (as in, what expletive did Green go with?), here’s video of Green making his comments.
Green can create any excuse he’d like, and even if it’s logically sound, the fact still remains: when no player from the opposing team is guarding him, Green must be a threat to score, especially when he’s near the basket. In those cases, he must score, or at least take a quality shot.
And Green’s excuse, while it makes sense on some level, doesn’t hold water. Of course, Kerr would rather have Curry shoot than Green. But an open Green near the basket should always yield a higher-percentage scoring opportunity than a double-teamed Curry.
But actions speak louder than words. While Green isn’t ready to verbally admit his strange hesitancy to shoot, especially near the basket for easy buckets, perhaps he’s admitted as much to himself and is working to improve his game.
If Green does that, he can lob any nasty name he likes at his critics. He’ll need help from his teammates and coaches, too. Greens issue on offense (his defense is still other-worldly) appears to be a lack of confidence.
It’s possible that the Warriors reported new assistant coach, Dejan Milojevic, could help here. He’s a tough-minded, big-man guru that was as aggressive as they come during his playing days.
But all starts with Green. His attitude in the above video is a bit disturbing, but it’s only June. We’ll see what version of Green Golden State gets when the “money” is on they line.
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