Warriors forward Draymond Green is used to being praised for his basketball ability. But now, as he negotiates a budding career as an NBA analyst and commentator, he’s receiving praise for that, too.
Green’s new podcast is highly rated, and he’s already signed with TNT as a part-time analyst, providing commentary and reporting during the NBA All-Star game as he healed from a back injury. TNT mainstay Charles Barkley — who ironically is one of the few who disses Green’s game from time to time, especially his lack of scoring punch — praised Green’s potential to be great in the studio.
Here are Barkley’s comments, courtesy of a nice article by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Scott Ostler.
“Listen, he’s a great addition to the team,” Barkley told The Chronicle. “It was really smart of Turner to lock him up before someone else gives him an opportunity. He’s got charisma, he’s honest, and I think those are the things that people are looking for. I think one of the reasons I have been successful is that people just get sick of BS, and I think every time I see Draymond, he’s a straight shooter.”
San Francisco Chronicle
Green says he wants his media career to be more successful than his playing career. That’s a lofty goal, but he’s off to a great start. Barkley likens Green’s no-nonsense style to his own successful delivery, and Barkley is one of the most popular analysts in the business. It seems clear that TNT envisions Green as a potential replacement for Barkley when he eventually retires.
I really hope that Green’s career takes off as Barkley’s did, and he becomes a mainstay on TNT’s Inside the NBA one day. Green has the bombast of Barkley and also shows a willingness to analyze film on-air, displaying elite insight. Most of all for me personally, Green can perpetuate the greatness of his tenure as a Golden State Warrior, with three NBA titles — and potential for more — during his time in the Bay Area thus far.
Green is playing at a high level on the court as the Warriors’ start to the 2022 NBA Playoffs has been explosive. That’s where the majority of his focus lies, clearly. But TNT signed him to a revolutionary player/commentator role for reason, and he’ll likely appear on Inside the NBA as soon as the Warriors’ run ends. Ideally for Golden State, however, the next time Green appears on the air at TNT, it will be as a four-time NBA champion.
Bay Area Sports Hub 